


Beauty Is In The Eyes Of The Beholder

by mandeebobandee



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-01-21 10:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 31,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandeebobandee/pseuds/mandeebobandee
Summary: Virgil goes to check on his little brother one night and finds a monster in his place.
Comments: 210
Kudos: 230





	1. Chapter 1

It started with a scream.  
  
Dee jolted awake at the sound of a terrified scream coming from one of his sons. His older son, Virgil, if he had to hazard a guess.  
  
Dee immediately went to Virgil's bedroom, only to find the door open and the room empty. A jolt went through Dee. Was he too late? Did someone kidnap Virgil? What about his younger son, Remus?!  
  
Another of Virgil's screams tore through the house. This time, Dee was close enough to recognize that the boy's screams were coming from _Remus'_ room. Dee sprinted to Remus' room as fast as his legs could carry him, throwing the door open.  
  
Virgil stared back at him with a horrorstruck expression. There were tears running down his face. Dee scanned the room, seeing no immediate threat. "Virgil, my dear boy, what is wrong?"  
  
Virgil sniffed, dabbing at his eyes with one of his hands. "Monster."  
  
Dee let out a sigh, reminding himself to be patient. Virgil was only six, after all, and he still had a hard time telling the difference between reality and fiction. "Do you want me to check and make sure that there is no monster under your brother's bed?"  
  
Virgil shook his head, much to Dee's surprise. Dee frowned. That was _always_ how he soothed Virgil. He would look under the bed, assure Virgil that there was nothing there, and then Virgil would go back to bed.  
  
"If I don't look under the bed, I won't be able to check that there is no monster under there," Dee reminded him.  
  
"But there is a monster under there!" Virgil pleaded. "I saw him with my own eyes!"  
  
"I'm sure you just saw a shadow or something. Here, let me look..." Dee crouched down on the ground, peering under the bed.  
  
Then he heard _something_ let out a roar and scrambled back at once.  
  
"I told you there was something under there!" Virgil shouted, then let out a yelp as the creature crawled out from under Remus' bed. Dee rose to his feet at once. The creature let out a growl, and Virgil immediately scrambled behind Dee. Dee, for his part, stayed directly in front of his son in a protective stance.  
  
"You stay away from my sons!" Dee demanded.  
  
The creature...flinched?  
  
It was a small creature, Dee noted. About the size of Remus, if he had to hazard a guess.  
  
His size wasn't the only thing that reminded him of Remus. The creature might have growled at Virgil, but now that he stared up at Dee, he looked...well, he looked nothing short of terrified if Dee had to be honest.  
  
Dee had a hunch. "How old are you?" he asked the little monster.  
  
The monster frowned, tapping at...was that its chin? "I'm 1...2...3. 3!" he announced in a cheerful tone.  
  
Dee's heart instantly melted. Three? _Three?_ This monster was the same as his youn-  
  
...where _was_ his youngest, incidentally?  
  
"Virgil, where is Remus?" Dee asked his elder son, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.  
  
"I dunno," Virgil replied. Then his eyes widened. "What if the monster ate him?!"

Dee eyed the little monster skeptically. It was _possible_, though highly unlikely, given their similar size.  
  
"What did you do to Remus?!" Virgil spat, placing all of his hands on his hips in what Dee presumed was _supposed_ to be an intimidating fashion. Instead, Dee found it rather cute.  
  
A glance at the monster told Dee that the young monster thought differently. "Oh dear, you're just as scared of us as we are of you!"  
  
The monster looked as though it wanted to hide behind his own parent's legs. "What is your name, little one?" Dee asked him.  
  
"R-Roman," the little monster told him. _Roman_. What a delightfully _normal_ name for such a bizarre creature. Dee didn't even know how to describe it. Where Virgil, Dee, and Remus all had six arms and two legs, Roman only had _two arms_. He had two eyes like Dee, as opposed to Virgil's eight, but his face was completely pale. There were no scales, no feathers, no fur. _Nothing_.  
  
"Where's Remus?" Virgil repeated, drawing Dee from his observations.  
  
"I dunno who that is," Roman replied, sounding uneasy. Dee was fairly certain that he was telling the truth, but something told him that Virgil wasn't going to let it drop that easily. Sure enough...  
  
"Yeah, because he didn't get a chance to tell you his name before you _ate him_," Virgil glared.  
  
"Virgil, stop," Dee scolded. Virgil looked somewhat sheepish at his father's reprimand.  
  
"Oooh, I know him," the monster said suddenly. Virgil jumped at the sudden exclamation. Roman was pointing to a picture of Remus and Virgil that sat on the nightstand next to Remus’ bed.  
  
Virgil and Dee turned to the creature at once.  
  
"You do?" Virgil argued an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah!" Roman explained. "I saw him in the Taween!"

_How...helpful,_ Dee thought to himself. He had no idea what a 'Taween' was...perhaps it was where this monster hailed from? He supposed he'd have to get to the bottom of this mystery himself. He just hoped that Remus was alright...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is going to be a new AU of mine. I already have some ideas for how it's going to go. And yes, I recognize the similarities to Monsters Inc. with this chapter, but...yeah, it's definitely not going to follow the same plotline as Monsters Inc, I can tell you that much?


	2. Chapter 2

Virgil knocked on the door with one hand, waiting for a response from the other side. When he received none, he proceeded to knock again, this time with all _six_ hands.  
  
This time, the door swung open to reveal Virgil's harried looking father. Dee's eyes widened as he took in Virgil's appearance, then glanced at the clock. "It's that late already?!" Dee quickly ushered Virgil inside before Virgil could say anything in response.  
  
Virgil gaped as he took in the room that surrounded him. There were red and gold balloons _everywhere_, along with a large banner in the entryway that read, in large rainbow letters, 'Happy Birthday Roman!'. Virgil let out a snort. "You know what, Dad?"   
  
"What?" Dee looked to Virgil in confusion.  
  
"I don't think you've done enough decorating. It's missing something," Virgil commented.  
  
"You're right, it is," Dee replied.  
  
Virgil frowned. "I was being sarcastic..."  
  
Dee shrugged. "Do you think you can get into the hall closet and get down the streamers I bought? They're in the back on the top shelf and they're kind of hard to reach..."  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth turned upward. "You mean to say you were waiting for me to get here because I'm taller than you and can reach them easier?" he said teasingly.  
  
Dee huffed. "Yes, that's exactly it. It has nothing to do with your webs making it easier to grab onto things or anything."  
  
Oh. Right.  
  
Virgil made his way over to the closet and pulled it open. He used his webbing to pull down the streamers, catching the container with a couple of his spare hands. He then brought them over to his father, and the two made quick work putting them up. Sometimes twelve arms were better than six, after all.  
  
Virgil and Dee stood back and admired their handiwork. It was well worth coming home from college for the weekend for this.  
  
"I can't believe that Roman was 18. It seems like just yesterday..." Dee smiled wistfully, clearly reminiscent of their past with Roman. He sighed and glanced at an old picture that sat on the mantle. "It's just too bad that his brother isn't here to celebrate it with him."  
  
"They're not brothers," Virgil reminded him. "Roman and Remus didn't grow up with one another." _You didn't grow up with Remus either,_ a bitter voice inside Virgil's head reminded him. But he did at least _remember_ Remus. He _remembered_ his other little brother, the one that they never found. Virgil hoped that he was safe and happy, wherever he was. Perhaps, by some miracle, they might even find him some day. Virgil knew that his father still held out hope, even if the chances of finding Remus seemed rather dismal at this point. And he certainly wasn't as torn up over it as his father; it hurt him, yes, but he was only six at the time. He spent far more time with Roman than he did with Remus by this point in his life, and if he was honest with himself he could barely remember Remus.  
  
He couldn't dwell on Remus too much, though. Not today at least. It was Roman's birthday, and it wouldn't be fair to Roman to spend the whole day thinking of Remus when Roman was the one who was there with them. Roman was the one that Virgil grew up with, and despite his...considerable differences, he'd done very well for himself.  
  
Better than Virgil, in fact.  
  
"He'll be here after his rehearsal, right?" Virgil checked with his father. Dee nodded. Roman was a prominent member of his high school's drama club. He had to work his way up, but he'd earned a starring role in all of the school plays since the second half of his sophomore year, and it didn't seem like anything could bring him down. He was charismatic and popular.  
  
Virgil, on the other hand, did his best to blend into the background in high school. He was part of the drama club as well, but never earned a role in one of the plays - nor did he even attempt to. He knew that he was better off working as a crew member. Roman had a ton of friends, whereas Virgil only had a few. Virgil had come out of his shell somewhat now that he was in college, but the two brothers were as different as night and day. Only a few people realized just _how_ different, though.  
  
None of Roman's peers realized that four out of six of his arms were prosthetic. None of them knew that the fangs that he supposedly possessed were fake as well, or that the scales on his cheek were the result of an elaborate make-up routine that he underwent every morning. This was all for the best - Virgil might have been _scared_ of his little brother when he first met him, but now he wanted only the best for him. He just...wished that there was more that he could do. He could tell that it was hurting Roman, having to pretend that he was something that he was not.   
  
Dee and Virgil accepted Roman for who and what he was, but it was too dangerous to risk that with anyone else. What if they hurt Roman...or worse?  
  
Virgil clenched his fists at the thought. If they dared hurt his brother, he would _destroy_ them.  
  
A knock on the door jolted Virgil from his thoughts. "Wonder if that's him now?" Virgil heard his father ask as he went for the door. Dee pulled the door open, and Roman stepped inside. As Dee closed the door behind Roman, Virgil immediately ran up to his younger brother and threw all six of his arms around him.  
  
Roman chuckled and did the same. "It's good to see you too, Virge."


	3. Chapter 3

The three enjoyed a nice dinner together. Dee made spaghetti bolognese, Roman's favorite. It might not seem like much of a birthday celebration, but Roman already had a party with his friends the past weekend. This dinner might not be the big birthday bash that said party was, but Virgil could tell that Roman appreciated it nevertheless.  
  
Everything seemed to be going wonderfully. Virgil even felt somewhat _relaxed_. Then, in middle of birthday cake, Roman asked the question that would change everything.  
  
...well, technically, it was a _series_ of questions.  
  
"I'm adopted, right?" Roman asked.  
  
Dee arched an eyebrow. "I would certainly hope so, as I am not exactly a single-celled organism capable of reproduction via mitosis."  
  
Virgil let out a snort.  
  
Even Roman chuckled, though his mirth didn't quite reach his eyes. Virgil knew then that this was a _bit_ more serious to Roman than just verifying that he was adopted. "I was just wondering if you know anything about my birth parents?"  
  
Dee nearly choked on the piece of cake that he was eating. Virgil immediately rose to his feet and was about to sprint over and start the Heimlich Maneuver, but then realized that his father was coughing, which meant that he was _breathing_ and therefore not choking. He slowly sat back down, keeping a close eye on his father.  
  
Dee, after a moment or so of coughing, managed to regain his composure and take a few sips of water.  
  
"I have a feeling I should take that as a no?" Roman sighed. The corners of his mouth curved upward. Virgil didn't like the looks of it. Usually when Roman smiled like that it meant that he was in the midst of formulating one of his _brilliant_ ideas. "Not to fear! I will search for them myself! Certainly the adoption agency will have such information-"  
  
Virgil's eyes widened in alarm. Virgil looked to his father for guidance, only to see that Dee wasn't faring much better.  
  
Roman chuckled. "What's the matter? You two look as though you've just seen a monster crawl out from under the bed."  
  
Roman's words were so oddly _perfect_ for the situation that Virgil began to laugh.  
  
Only he was in such a nervous state that said laughter sounded near to hysterical.  
  
Dee ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose I owe you the truth...I was certainly hoping to break it to you another way, but if you wish to look for your birth parents, I suppose you really do need to know..."  
  
By now, Virgil regained _most_ of his composure - certainly enough to observe his father, and enough to recognize that Dee was rambling in an attempt to delay the inevitable.  
  
"You guys are scaring me," Roman let out a nervous chuckle of his own. "Its not like you kidnapped me from my birth parents or anything!"

By this point, Virgil lost what was left of his appetite and set the remainder of his slice of cake down.  
  
"...you guys didn't do that, did you?" Roman looked from Dee to Virgil, clearly concerned by their reactions. Virgil couldn't blame him.  
  
"No, of course not!" Dee said with a nervous chuckle of his own. Virgil didn't think he sounded convincing in the least.  
  
"But you didn't exactly come to us from the most conventional means," Virgil admitted quietly.  
  
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Roman frowned. "Did you buy me off the black market or something?"  
  
"Would you stop coming up with ideas that make this worse than it already is?" Virgil blurted out.  
  
"Well he's not entirely wrong," Dee admitted.  
  
"What?! Father, I was _there_, I know you didn't buy Roman off of the black market!" Virgil protested.  
  
"You were _there_?" Roman gaped at Virgil in surprise.  
  
"I didn't purchase Roman off of the black market, but..." Dee trailed off.  
  
"But what?" Virgil urged his father to continue.  
  
"I did obtain his birth certificate and his records by less than legal means," Dee admitted.  
  
"Dad, that's illegal!" Virgil could practically _feel_ the color drain from his face.  
  
"Oh, is it? My bad, I thought it was a perfectly normal thing to do!" Dee replied, sarcasm practically dripping from his tone.  
  
"You could go to jail for that!" Virgil was grateful that he was sitting, because he suddenly felt dizzy.  
  
"I had no choice!" Dee insisted. "What was I supposed to do, go to authorities and tell them that this random child crawled out from under a bed?" Dee's eyes widened as he realized what he said, and he immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

"...crawled out from under a bed?" Roman repeated. Virgil was fairly certain that Roman's jaw would have fallen to the floor had it not been attached to the rest of his face.

"Oh this is going exactly the way I wanted it to go...great job, Dean," Dee sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose with his hand.  
  
Virgil and Roman exchanged glances. The fact that their father was referring to himself by his _full_ first name spoke volumes...


	4. Chapter 4

Virgil was headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth when he stopped in his tracks.   
  
Roman was staring into Remus' room from the doorway. Virgil let out a sigh; it was usually their  _father_ who did such a thing. They kept Remus' room the way it was after all of these years, for the most part. It didn't feel right altering it in any way, and they had a spare bedroom that was easily converted once they 'adopted' Roman, so to speak.   
  
"Its not your fault, y'know," Virgil told him.   
  
Roman jolted, though quickly regained his composure once he saw that it was Virgil. "What was he like?" Roman asked Virgil in a quiet voice.   
  
"Very loud and boisterous. A bit of a brat. Kind of like you, actually." Virgil eyed Roman closely, wanting to gauge his reaction. He was pleased to see the barest hint of a smile cross Roman's face, as he knew he couldn't hope for much else at this point in time. "But...different? I dunno. It's hard to explain. It's been so long..."   
  
"I'm sorry," Roman blurted out.   
  
"I just told you, it's not your fault," Virgil reminded him.   
  
"How can you say that?" Roman scoffed. "The night I appeared was the last night that you saw Remus, and I...I never knew...what if it is my fault?"   
  
"Dude, you were  _three_ ," Virgil reminded him. "You barely knew what was going on. You growled at Dad when he looked under the bed."   
  
Roman let out a strained sounding laugh in spite of himself. "I growled at Dad?"   
  
"Yup. To be fair, if you were used to people who looked like you, I imagine Dad looked pretty scary to you. I know you looked scary to  _me_ at first," Virgil shrugged.   
  
"Yes, but  _growling at him_ ?" Romam let out a snort of his own.   
  
"Again, you were three," Virgil reiterated, but cracked a smile as well.

Roman sighed. "I...still...it can't be coincidence that he disappeared on the same day that I showed up."   
  
"You don't know that for sure," Virgil noted.   
  
"Neither do you," Roman countered, and Virgil didn't know how to respond to that because Roman was  _right_ .    
  
Virgil glanced around the room, scattered memories of playing with his  _other_ little brother springing to the forefront of his mind as he did so. His gaze fell upon a picture of himself and Remus on the nightstand. He gasped as another recollection leaped forth.   
  
_"Oooh, I know him," the monster said suddenly. Virgil jumped at the sudden exclamation. Roman was pointing to a picture of Remus and Virgil that sat on the nightstand next to Remus’ bed.  
  
Virgil and Dee turned to the creature at once.  
  
"You do?" Virgil argued an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah!" Roman explained. "I saw him in the Taween!"_   
  
"You met him!" Virgil blurted out.   
  
"What?" Roman responded, clearly caught off guard by Virgil's sudden outburst.   
  
"You met him. You pointed to that picture," Virgil pointed to the picture on the nightstand for emphasis, "and said that you 'knew him' because you 'saw him in the Taween'!"    
  
"...the hell is the Taween?" Roman arched an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to make sense to me?"   
  
"It did fifteen years ago," Virgil retorted with a bemused expression.   
  
"I was  _three_ ," Roman reminded Virgil, echoing Virgil's earlier statements. "Three year olds say a lot of things that don't necessarily make sense."   
  
"You did say you saw him, though. That part did make sense. And you said it unprompted. Neither of us pointed to the picture and said 'have you seen this boy?'. You pointed to it yourself and said that you knew him," Virgil explained.   
  
"...which means that I was the last of us who saw him. That  _confirms_ that I'm responsible for his disappearance!" The color drained from Roman's face.   
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. "What? No! That's not what it means at all!"   
  
"Sure sounds like it," Roman replied. "If I was the last one to see him, his disappearance is  _undoubtedly_ connected to my appearance. You can't argue against the facts, Virgil, no matter how hard you try."   
  
"You're a stubborn ass sometimes, you know that?" Virgil folded his arms across his chest.   
  
"Takes one to know one," Roman retorted.   
  
"...that's fair," Virgil admitted. "But I'm not arguing against any facts. His disappearance and your appearance may be connected, but that still doesn't mean that you're responsible for his disappearance!"   
  
"How does it not?" Roman looked incredulous.    
  
"Because you were  _three_ ," Virgil reiterated. "Because whatever happened, I doubt it was intentional on your part. It might not have even had anything to do with you in the first place. It might have had something to do with the 'Taween', whatever the hell that is."   
  
Roman's gasped, his eyes widening. Virgil blinked in surprise. "What?"   
  
"That's it," Roman murmured. "The Taween!"   
  
"...hate to tell you Ro, but that doesn't really clear up much of anything," Virgil let out a snort.   
  
"The last place I saw Remus was the Taween, right?" Roman asked.   
  
Virgil nodded. "Yeah, that's what you said..."   
  
"What if Remus is still in the Taween? What if the Taween is the key to finding him?" Roman continued.   
  
"...we don't even know what the Taween is, Roman," Virgil reminded him. "How are we supposed to know if the Taween is the key to finding him if we don't know what it means in the first place?"   
  
"Because we're going to find out. We're going to find out and we're going to rescue Remus!" Roman announced triumphantly.   
  
"...I was afraid you might say that," Virgil squeezed the bridge of his nose between his hands. He could understand Roman's excitement. Virgil wanted closure when it came to Remus as well, but...he was  _afraid_ of the sort of closure finding Remus might bring. So long as Remus remained missing...there was a chance that Remus was alive and safe out there. But what if, upon finding Remus, they discovered the opposite? What if Remus  _wasn't_ safe? What if...   
  
A shudder went through Virgil.   
  
"First we need to pool all of our resources into figuring out what the Taween is..." Roman began.    
  
Virgil sighed. It was already too late. Roman was on a roll, and there was no stopping him now. Virgil had no choice  _but_ to tag along for the ride, as he couldn't exactly let his little brother go alone. Not when he made a promise to himself years before that he wouldn't let whatever happened to Remus happen to Roman.   
  
But he had a  _bad_ feeling about this, a feeling that they were about to dive into something  _way_ over their heads...


	5. Chapter 5

"I've figured it out!" Roman announced as he strode into Virgil's room, a triumphant expression on his face.  
  
Two weeks passed since Roman's birthday. Virgil's spring classes were now complete. He wasn't taking any summer classes, which meant that he was home for the summer. It also meant that he no longer had an excuse to avoid Roman's schemes to get to the bottom of what happened to Remus.  
  
That being said, he didn't expect to hear that Roman already had it figured out. Though Virgil wasn't certain that he _wanted_ to know what happened to Remus, in the event that it wasn't good news...he had to admit that he actually felt somewhat _disappointed_ that it sounded as though Roman did the bulk of the work without him.  
  
Not that he would admit this to Roman, of course. "Oh? he set the book that he was reading aside. "You figured out what the Taween is?"  
  
"Nah, still working on that one," Roman admitted, much to Virgil's surprise.  
  
"...I don't get it, I thought that's what you were trying to figure out?" Virgil blinked in confusion.  
  
"It was!"  
  
"...then why did you say you figured it out if you haven't?" Virgil was already starting to get a headache, and it wasn't help by the fact that Roman started _laughing_ at Virgil's confusion.  
  
"I haven't figured out what it is, but I have an idea for how we can find out," Roman told him.  
  
...oh. Virgil supposed that was a start. "What did you have in mind?" Did Virgil want to know? Did it _matter_ whether Virgil wanted to know? Virgil knew that Roman planned to tell him regardless.  
  
"We're going to crawl under the bed in Remus' room!" Roman beamed.  
  
Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Did you hear what I said? We're going to-"  
  
"I heard what you said," Virgil stopped Roman before he could go any further. "I'm just wondering if you put any thought into this plan."  
  
"Of course I did!" Roman protested. "You guys found me because I crawled out from under Remus' bed, right? Therefore, the answer must lay under Remus' bed!"  
  
"Yes, and you crawled out from under Remus' bed when you were three years old. You were three feet tall, at most. You're only a couple of inches shy of six feet now, and I am six feet!" Virgil pointed out.  
  
"Six hands too," Roman remarked with a slight smirk.  
  
Virgil lifted one of said hands to smack his brother lightly upside the head for that comment. "Point is, we're not going to fit under the bed."  
  
"We will if we stay close to the ground. Obviously it won't work well if we're just crawling along on our hands and knees, but who said we had to do that? Just slither along like snakes!" Roman suggested.  
  
Virgil let out a sigh. "Y'know, I doubted you when you said you thought this through, but I'm actually starting to believe you." He still thought the whole thing was absurd, but...Roman _did_ seem to have taken certain matters into consideration that Virgil hadn't expected him to.  
  
There was something else, though, something that Virgil _knew_ might stop Roman in his tracks. "We've already checked, you know."  
  
"Checked what?" Roman was already halfway down the hall.  
  
Virgil rolled his eyes and ran after his brother. "Checked under the bed. There's nothing there. It's like you just _rose up_ out of solid ground or something."  
  
"Maybe I did," Roman shrugged, then continued on his way. "Worth a check, isn't it?"  
  
Virgil sighed. He couldn't exactly argue with that, though he still thought this was probably a waste of time. They were supposed to be figuring out what the Taween was. Roman might as well be leading them on a wild goose chase as far as Virgil was concerned. He _saw_ their father rummage under the bed. If there was any hint as to where Remus might have gone under said bed, Dee would have found it _years_ ago.  
  
All the same...Virgil could understand why Roman would want to see it for himself. Virgil saw his father search Remus' room high and low for any hints as to where the boy went. Roman _hadn't_ \- or if he had, he was too young to remember it in great detail. If this offered Roman some closure, Virgil supposed it wasn't his place to deny his younger brother that.  
  
As soon as Roman entered Remus' room, he moved to the ground, crawling over to the bed. Virgil sighed and reluctantly dropped to a crouching position beside the bed. He peered under the bed, then looked to Roman. "See? Nothing."  
  
Roman let out a huff. "You barely looked!"  
  
"Roman, there is _nothing_ under there. It only takes a second to see that!" Virgil countered.  
  
Roman peered under the bed himself, then looked back to Virgil with a confused expression.  
  
"See? Nothing!" Virgil reiterated.  
  
Roman extended his hand and began patting the ground. Virgil arched an eyebrow at that. "What, you think you're going to find something hiding in the carp-"  
  
"Whoa!" Roman blurted out, catching Virgil off guard.  
  
"Whoa? Whoa what?" Virgil asked.  
  
"Whoa, my hand just sunk into the carpet!" Roman turned to Virgil, a huge grin on his face. "See Virgil? I told you we'd find something!"  
  
"Sunk into the...what are you talking about, Roman?" Virgil looked under the bed, sure that Roman was fooling around with him...but Roman's hand literally looked as though it went _clear through the ground_.  
  
Alarm bells were starting to go off in Virgil's head. Something didn't feel right about this. "Roman, you need to pull your hand back."  
  
"What?!" Roman huffed. "I finally find something and you want me to pull away? Fat chance! You're just jealous because I found it first!"  
  
"What? No! I just...Roman, we don't know what's going on, and..." Virgil's voice trailed off as Roman reached another hand under the bed, watching as _it_ sunk through the carpet as well.  
  
"Look, Virgil! This one does it t-whoooa!" Suddenly Roman lurched forward, as if something was actively _pulling_ him under the bed and through the floor. And whatever it was, it wasn't stopping.  
  
"Roman!" Virgil shouted. Neither of Roman's hands were free, so Virgil reached for his legs and tried to pull Roman back to safety.  
  
Instead, whatever - or _whoever_ \- was pulling Roman - compensated for Virgil's strength.  
  
_This is the last time I let Roman take the lead,_ Virgil thought to himself, closing his eyes as both he and Roman were dragged beneath the bed and through the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ungh," Virgil grunted as he fell onto something...soft?  
  
He wasn't expecting to fall onto something soft.  
  
"Do you mind?" Roman grumbled from beneath him.  
  
Virgil scrambled off of his brother and peered around. Virgil wasn't entirely sure where he and Roman were, but he was certain of one thing - This was _not_ Remus' bedroom.  
  
"...Dad's gonna _kill_ us," Virgil groaned.  
  
"Nonsense! He's not going to kill us!" Roman waved Virgil's concern off.  
  
"Dude, we're in some sort of...I don't even know where we are. A forest? How the hell did we end up in a forest? Why is there a forest under Remus' bed?" Virgil had a number of additional questions, but feared that if he continued to list them, he'd panic. As it was, he was already finding it difficult to catch his breath.  
  
"Could be worse," Roman shrugged.  
  
"Worse...we have no idea where we are, Ro, or how to get back! How could this be worse?" Virgil snapped.  
  
"We're not chained up in a dungeon with no means of escape?" Roman observed.  
  
"...thanks, you really know how to comfort a guy," Virgil rolled his eyes.  
  
"...yeah I'm not sure where that came from," Roman admitted. "But it's true! We're not trapped! We are free to explore and make our way around this place! Which also means we may be able to find our way back! Can't do _that_ locked in a dungeon!" Roman asserted.  
  
"Will you shut _up_ about that dungeon?" Virgil demanded through gritted teeth.  
  
"Alright, alright, fair enough," Roman chuckled.  
  
A few seconds later, he let out a sudden gasp, startling Virgil and leading him to fear for his brother's safety. "What? What is it?!"  
  
"We can look for Remus!" Roman grinned.  
  
"...dammit Roman, you don't have to gasp or shout about every realization you make," Virgil mumbled.  
  
He could understand Roman's excitement, but he was trying to _stave off_ a panic attack, not generate one.  
  
"What? Don't you want to find your brother? _Our_ brother?" Roman wondered.  
  
"Of course I do! It's just..." Virgil faltered. "We don't know anything about this place! It could be super dangerous!"  
  
"That's the best part!" Roman beamed.  
  
Virgil leveled an incredulous stare at his brother. "You and I have two _very_ different ideas about that."  
  
"Look, I know there's risk involved. That's part of the thrill for me, but...I also recognize that it puts you on edge," Roman admitted. "I know this is a lot, but...we're here now and we might as well make the best of it! This could be the grandest adventure of our lifetime!"  
  
"That's what scares me the most about it," Virgil muttered.  
  
"Well we're not going to find Remus just standing here! I mean we could, but it's super unlikely," Roman told him. "Tell you what - We stick close to each other no matter what. That way you can look out for me, and I can look out for you. We'll have each other's backs. How does that sound?"  
  
Better than the thought of Roman wandering around this place by himself, Virgil had to admit _that_ much. And Roman was right - Not only would they not find Remus if they stayed where they were, but it didn't look as though they would find their way _back_ either.  
  
They didn't have much of a choice, unless they wanted to stand here indefinitely.  
  
"Fine," Virgil conceded at last.  
  
"Yay," Roman clapped his hands together. "Let's get to it!"

Virgil allowed Roman to lead the way, though stuck close behind him. Virgil figured that he could watch Roman's back this way.  
  
Too bad that Virgil could not see the figure watching them intently from afar.  
  
Said figure took the form of a tall woman, with horns on either side of her head that resembled a dragon. The corners of her mouth curved upward into a smirk as she eyed Roman and Virgil in the distance. "One down and one to go..."


	7. Chapter 7

"Does any of this look familiar, Roman?" Virgil asked after they'd been walking for several minutes.  
  
"Not really, but we haven't exactly seen much of anything other than this forest. Speaking of which, didn't we already pass that tree a while back?" Roman pointed to a tree slightly to the left of where they were walking.  
  
Virgil frowned, studying the tree. "Now that you mention it, that tree does look familiar...great, we're walking in circles now, aren't we?"  
  
Roman grinned. "I mean, it's better than walking in triangles?"  
  
Virgil rolled his eyes, but managed a small smile. Roman's grin fell soon after this, and Virgil grew concerned. "What?"  
  
"I just...thought of something, that's all," Roman frowned. Images of a young man in glasses with a bright smile flashed in his mind. He would have shrugged them off as nothing, but then he realized that the young man in the image _looked like him_. He only had two arms and two legs, no additional eyes, no scales, no fur other than what was on top of his head...  
  
"I think I saw my father," Roman admitted.  
  
Virgil stopped walking at once. "Your father? He's here?"  
  
Roman stopped as well, shaking his head. He closed his eyes, smiling. "No no, not here. I...I think I had a memory of him? He had a big smile and glasses and two arms and two legs and...he looked like me."  
  
Roman's smile fell. "I've never had that happen before. It's always...well anyway, we should probably get a move on, shouldn't we? We still need to figure out where we are!" Roman let out a boisterous chuckle and went to start walking.  
  
"No, Roman," Virgil responded. Roman turned back to Virgil in surprise.  
  
"No?" Roman furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
"You don't have to feel guilty for feeling that way. You're right, you've never seen anyone who looks like you, at least not for a long time, and...that has to feel pretty nice," Virgil shrugged.

"It does. Sometimes I wish I could step outside without having to put on those fake arms and spend an hour doing up my make-up to make it look like I have scales on my face. I love make-up, yet I _dread_ doing my make-up in the morning, because it's always the same thing. And none of what my friends see is actually me. If they did see the real me, they'd probably reject me...and that would be the _best_ case scenario," Roman sighed.  
  
"If you want, we can try to find your real family too?" Virgil suggested.  
  
Roman blinked. "What did you just say?"  
  
"We can try to look for your real family?" Virgil repeated.  
  
Much to Virgil's surprise, Roman let out a chuckle. "You and Dad _are_ my real family."

...how was Virgil even supposed to _respond_ to a statement like that? "Thanks Ro," Virgil managed to mutter. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what Roman said, because he certainly did! Virgil just wasn't _expecting_ a statement like that, and thus didn't know how to react.  
  
"Do you think this place is your...well, not your home, but the place you were born?" Virgil wondered.  
  
Roman sighed. "I don't...this forest _does_ seem vaguely familiar, but not enough to determine whether I actually spent the first few years of my life here."  
  
"That's what I was afraid of," Virgil sighed. They were lost in a forest in what Virgil could only assume was some other _realm_, and they had little to aid their search, aside from a few scattered memories and a vague feeling of familiarity. Virgil doubted _that_ would get them very far.

Virgil heard movement in the trees surrounding them and froze at once. The movement stopped, and Virgil gave a shaky sigh of relief. He went to take a step forward, only to fall flat on his face, his arms splayed out.  
  
"Oof!" he grunted at the impact.  
  
Roman turned around at the sound, his eyes slowly going wide as his face grew ashen. "Virgil, there's..." Unable to finish his sentence, Roman instead pointed behind Virgil. Virgil glanced back, bracing himself for what he might find back there.  
  
Wrapped around his leg was a thick green _tentacle_. The tentacle was attached to _something_, but whatever - or _whoever_ \- the tentacle was attached to was obscured by shadows. Virgil gulped.  
  
"Better watch where you're going, Lo. This _monster_ almost came after you. What do you think we should do with it, Lolo? Take off its legs? Burn it?" a voice called out.  
  
Virgil went pale. They were going to _kill_ him. He let out a yelp as the tentacle lifted him a few feet into the air. _Jeez_ this tentacle was strong!  
  
"I believe we ought to see what its motives are first, Remus," another voice suggested to the first voice.  
  
"Ugh, fiiiiiiine." The tentacle unfurled itself from Virgil's leg, sending him back to the ground. But he was hardly concerned about that now.  
  
Did...did one of the figures just call the other _Remus_?  
  
Remus _did_ have the start of a few green appendages when he disappeared...had they grown into tentacles?  
  
There was only one way to find out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has nothing to do with the story, but I feel the need to mention it anyway, because it's been on my mind a LOT today. Please don't read any further into this note if you are triggered by mentions of gun violence or school shootings.
> 
> There was another mass shooting in the news today. The school affected was my younger cousin's high school. From what I heard, she was just pulling into the parking lot when it happened. A few other students hopped into her car and they drove off. 
> 
> And now I've discovered that the shooter lived just down the block from them. My aunt and cousins are blowing up social media with updates right now.
> 
> So yeah. Still processing all of that. :/


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for the start of a somewhat detailed description of performing surgery on oneself (I'll give you one guess as to who the culprit is...)

Virgil and Roman watched as the two figures moved out into the open. Virgil noted that the figure with green tentacles also sported a mustache and a mischievous grin. The other looked similar to how Roman described his biological _father_.  
  
"Remus?" Virgil breathed.  
  
"Whoa, it can talk?! How awesome! Y'know, maybe this thing isn't so bad after all! Let's keep it as a pet!" Remus clapped his hands together.  
  
The bespectacled figure, the one Remus(?!) called Logan, massaged the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He looked exasperated. "I apologize. Remus is..."  
  
"A once in a lifetime experience!" Remus beamed proudly.  
  
Virgil wasn't sure how to respond to all of this. He couldn't just _blurt out_ that he thought Remus was his long lost brother, they'd look at him like he was insane!  
  
But if the rapidly forming theory in Virgil's head was correct... "Logan?"  
  
"Yes?" Logan looked to Virgil.  
  
"Are you ignoring me? How rude!" Remus huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't think I want you as a pet after all!"  
  
"Good, because my _brother_ is not your pet!" Roman declared, eyeing Remus.  
  
"Your brother? The two of you hardly look alike. Are you sure one of you is not adopted?" Remus chuckled.  
  
Virgil was starting to grow antsy, and realized that he needed to ask Logan his question before things spiraled out of control. "Do you have a brother named Roman, Logan?"  
  
Up to this point, Logan merely looked a mix between exhausted and _bored_. But at that question, Logan's eyes went wide.  
  
"Jeez Lo, you look as though he just asked you to borrow a kidney," Remus chuckled.

"...borrow a _kidney_?" Roman made a face. "How would that even work?"  
  
Remus smiled. "I'm so glad you asked! I imagine you'd take a knife and you'd slice open your side and-"  
  
"Yes I have a brother named Roman," Logan blurted out, clearly trying to stop Remus from going into the gory details. "But I haven't seen him in years. He disappeared when he was-"  
  
"Three?" One corner of Virgil's mouth twitched upward.  
  
"...yes, how did you know?" Logan blinked in confusion.  
  
Virgil grinned. "Because my brother _Remus_ went missing when _he_ was three."

Remus glanced over at Virgil. "Wait, are you saying that you're my _brother_? Freakin' sweet! I have a spider brother!"  
  
"You _would_ focus on that aspect," Logan sighed, but Virgil noticed that there was a hint of fondness on Logan's face even amidst everything else.  
  
And why wouldn't there be? By the looks of it, Remus grew up alongside Logan, and thus their relationship was probably similar to the relationship between Virgil and Roman.   
  
Logan was just as much Remus' brother as Virgil was, if not more.  
  
Virgil could not _entirely_ brush aside the pangs of jealousy as he watched Remus and Logan interact, but...he was happy, for the most part. Not only was Remus safe, but he looked fairly happy and seemed well cared for.   
  
"Can you shoot webs out of your butt?" Remus blurted out suddenly.  
  
Virgil was abruptly pulled from his thoughts at these words. How did one even respond to a question like _that_? "I...what?" Maybe he'd heard wrong?  
  
"Can you shoot webs out of your butt?" Remus repeated, just as eagerly as he had the first time.  
  
Alright, so Virgil hadn't heard wrong. He...he supposed he ought to take the question at face value, then. "Not out of my butt, no. I can shoot them out of my hands though." Virgil extended a hand and shot one of his webs at a nearby tree branch as an example.  
  
"Intriguing," Logan observed. 

"So this is the world I originally came from?" Roman peered around eagerly, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I like it, though I have to admit I was expecting a few less trees."  
  
Logan furrowed a brow. "The world you come from?"  
  
"Well, yeah. That's what I assume this place is, right?" Roman chuckled.  
  
"Up until now, we were operating under the assumption that this was _your_ home," Logan admitted.  
  
"Ooooh, things just got a whole lot more interesting," Remus grinned, clapping his hands together in excitement.  
  
"Interesting is certainly _one_ way of putting it," Virgil reluctantly agreed. None of them knew where they were by the looks of it, which left him feeling more uneasy than ever.


	9. Chapter 9

Now there were two more people in their party, but they were just as lost as ever.  
  
It did give them all a chance to chat, at least.  
  
"I presume that you are Roman?" Logan questioned Roman.  
  
An awestruck Roman nodded.  
  
"Logan. It is...nice to see you again. I hope that you have been doing well," Logan remarked. "Out of curiosity, do you have any recollection of me?"  
  
Roman studied Logan's face for a moment or so. He ultimately shook his head. "No, I do not. Nothing clear at least. I'm sorry."  
  
Logan shrugged. "It's quite alright. I was merely curious, that's all."  
  
But Roman saw right through it. Logan could pretend that what Roman said had not bothered him, but Roman could not get the stricken look that crossed Logan's features at his admission out of his mind. The expression was only on Logan's face for a second, but it was more than enough to hint at how Logan truly felt.  
  
Roman felt terrible for that. He stood by what he told Virgil earlier - Dee and Virgil were his _true_ family - but it wasn't so easy to dismiss his 'old family' now that one of it's members walked alongside him.  
  
"I expected as much, honestly," Logan informed him. "You were three years old when you vanished."  
  
"How old were you?" Roman wondered.  
  
"Seven," Logan replied. A year older than Virgil, then, which meant that Logan was twenty-two.  
  
"Well...at least we have the opportunity to make up for some lost time while we're here?" Roman suggested.  
  
_"I suppose we do,"_ Logan conceded. _"Where shall we begin?"_  
  
All too quickly, Logan and Roman realized that this task was much easier said than done.  
  
\------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Virgil and Remus were having their _own_ conversation. They walked a few feet behind Logan and Roman.  
  
Virgil hated the fact that he couldn't seem to think of anything to say. He had _proof_ that his long lost brother was _safe_, that he was _alive_...and he couldn't even get his stupid tongue to untangle itself so that he could say something to Remus.  
  
"Can you spin webs?" Remus' question brought Virgil out of his thoughts.  
  
Still afraid to open his mouth out of fear of what _gibberish_ might come tumbling out of his mouth if he did so, Virgil nodded.  
  
"Neato! Do you molt too?" Remus wondered. "I saw a video of a tarantula melting once...it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!"  
  
Virgil shook his head. "I don't...I don't sleep in my webs, not usually at least. And I don't molt. I...I see your arms grew out?"  
  
"My tentacles you mean?" Remus beamed. "They certainly did! They're absolutely beautiful, aren't they? I just love letting them go free! I don't get much of an opportunity to do so, you know? People would get too freaked out! Not that I necessarily care about people getting freaked out but I also don't want to be subject to any crazy science experiments so I have to be careful who sees me!"  
  
Virgil gaped, having to take a moment to process the large amount of information that Remus dumped on him all at once.

"So you have to hide your tentacles in...in that world?" Virgil managed to say at last.  
  
"Yeah. Feels nice to stretch 'em out a bit!" Remus grinned.  
  
Virgil had to admit that he was caught off guard. The world that Remus lived in with Logan, the one that Roman presumably hailed from? For all of their differences (and there were many), the two worlds actually sounded a lot more similar than Virgil expected.  
  
...but if this wasn't _either_ of those worlds, what was it?


	10. Chapter 10

Virgil was beginning to wonder if this entire world _was_ the forest. Logan had the brilliant idea to mark the trunk of each tree with an X so that they would know when they'd already ventured into a certain area and wouldn't go walking around in circles.  
  
That said, no matter how hard they tried, all of their hikes inevitably landed them within a group of marked trees, and they'd have to start all over again.  
  
"What do we do when we're surrounded on all sides by marked trees?" Remus wondered.  
  
"We're surrounded on all sides?!" Virgil whirled around at once, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that there weren't any X's in the surrounding area aside from the trees in front of them.

"Nope! I'm just saying it'll suck when we are!" Remus replied.  
  
"_If_ we are," Logan corrected.  
  
"What if Remus is right though? What if there isn't a way out of here? What if we're trapped here forever?" Virgil eyed their surroundings warily.  
  
"There are worse places that we could be trapped?" Roman suggested.   
  
Virgil stared at Roman as if he'd suddenly sprouted another head from the side of his neck. "It's not the _place_ that I'm concerned about, it's the _trapped_ part!"  
  
"I doubt that we're trapped. We each made our way to this location, correct? If there is a way in, there must be a way out," Logan deduced.  
  
"How did _you_ guys get here, anyway?" Roman asked Logan and Remus. Virgil had to admit that he'd been wondering the same thing, he just hadn't asked because he was more concerned with getting _out_ of here.   
  
"The ground ate us," Remus replied.  
  
"I don't know that I would describe it like that-" Logan started to reply, but Remus cut him off.  
  
"I would! The ground attempted to swallow us whole, but then found that we tasted icky so it spat us here instead," Remus shrugged.  
  
"That is...certainly a creative way of describing it, but that is essentially what happened," Logan admitted.  
  
"That's pretty much the same thing that happened to us," Roman noted. "It was like we were being sucked into the floor."  
  
"I have a question," Virgil spoke up, wincing a little when everyone's attention turned to him. He could handle it, as there were only three of them, but he still felt put on the spot. "When Remus first turned up in your...your world, Logan, did he crawl out from under the bed too?"  
  
"Crawling outta my bed, and I've been doing JUST FINE," Remus sang.  
  
"GOTTA GOTTA BE UP BECAUSE I WANT IT ALL," Roman continued where Remus left out. He beamed at Remus. "You have a version of The Killers in your world too?!"  
  
"Yes, but it's 'gotta gotta be down because I want it all', not up," Remus snorted.  
  
"No...it's always been 'up'," Roman frowned. "Maybe you've heard it wrong this whole time?"  
  
"No, it's legit 'down', not 'up'. I think you're the one who's heard it wrong the whole time," Remus scoffed.   
  
"I absolutely have not! See, I can even look up the lyrics..." Roman retrieved his cell phone from his pocket.  
  
"Roman, I don't think your phone is going to work here..." Virgil warned his brother. He was caught off guard by the fact that they apparently had the similar _music_, but his attention was drawn back to Logan once Logan began to answer his question.  
  
"Yes, Remus crawled out from under the bed. I found it bizarre. There is a trope, in our world at least, that children will often fear that there is a monster under the bed. As it so happens, Remus fits our world's description of a monster," Logan noted.  
  
"Damn gay!" Remus smirked, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"Don't you mean 'damn straight'?" Logan frowned.  
  
"Look, I don't think _any_ of us here are straight..." Remus chuckled, gesturing to himself and the other three.  
  
"I don't know that we can say that for certain," Logan frowned, eyeing Virgil and Roman. "I know that you and I are not, but-"  
  
"Nah, he's 100% right. If you two say you aren't straight, and I _know_ Virgil and I aren't straight, that means none of us are straight!" Roman grinned.   
  
"I don't know that we're going to get anything accomplish if you two keep distracting us with your non sequiturs," Logan said with an exasperated sigh, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward a couple of times. He was still amused, even if he was frustrated at the same time.  
  
Virgil was amused too, but he also felt that he needed to share this next bit of information, so he waited until things calmed down a bit before addressing Logan's statement about monsters. "We have the same trope in our world," Virgil informed Logan. "Only in our case, _Roman_ fits the description of a monster."  
  
"How intriguing!" Logan remarked. "Our worlds almost seem parallel to an extent. We have similar music, but the wording is slightly different, if Roman and Remus' earlier argument is any indication. What we view as a 'monster' is a normal denizen in your world, and what _your_ world views as a monster is a normal denizen in _our_ world. It is almost as if we hail from alternate yet similar dimensions!"  
  
There was a pause, Logan furrowing his brow at the sound of clapping. "Remus, you don't have to _clap_ at my deduction."  
  
"I'm not clapping?" Remus replied, showing his hands. Virgil looked to Roman, noting that _Roman's_ hands were at his side.   
  
Then who was clapping?  
  
As if on cue, a woman with dark hair stepped out from behind a grove of trees, a small smile on her face. She was clapping her hands together. "You've worked it out already. I'm impressed!"


	11. Chapter 11

Virgil grew tense as he eyed the newcomer. The woman stood tall, with horns reminiscent of a dragon. There was a regal air to her.  
  
"Good day, ma'am. Out of curiosity, what do you mean when you say that 'we've worked it out already'?" Roman asked.  
  
The woman chuckled. "Why, everything of course!"  
  
"...yeah I call bullshit."  
  
"Remus!" Logan scolded.  
  
"What? She says we've worked out everything, but won't even answer our question! It's bullshit and you know it! You're just too polite to say it. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less." He looked the woman directly in the eye. "Bullshit!" he repeated.  
  
Remus wasn't wrong, though Virgil strongly suspected that Remus' persistence was due to the fact that he was trying to get under the woman's skin.  
  
...Virgil also suspected that he was having fun saying the word 'bullshit' repeatedly.  
  
"I can understand why you might think that," the woman admitted. "I was, in fact, referring to the statement that you hail from alternate yet parallel dimensions."  
  
"That's not everything," Roman frowned.  
  
"You're correct, it's not," the woman noted. "You've figured out that this is a third world, a world aside from the worlds you call home. An in-between world of sorts."  
  
Roman gasped. "Between. Tween. Taween. Virgil, _this_ is the Taween!"  
  
Huh. So it was.  
  
"Taween?" Logan arched an eyebrow.  
  
"When Roman first showed up in our world, he said that he saw Remus in the Taween," Virgil explained to Logan.  
  
"Wait, so that means that Remus and I have been here before?" Roman's eyes went wide. "But...shouldn't we recognize it then?"  
  
"Not necessarily," Logan reasoned. "You may have only traversed through this world for a short period of time."  
  
"You guys were also three years old at the time, so it's not like your memories of back then are super clear anyway," Virgil added.  
  
"So where do you come in to all of this?" Remus eyed the woman. "How do you know all of this?"  
  
"I have been watching you from afar," the woman confessed.  
  
"Stalker!" Remus shouted.  
  
"I admit, I probably should have just approached you when I first spotted you. But you seemed to have a lot on your minds on the time, and I wanted to allow you a chance to gain your bearings before I introduced myself," she explained.  
  
"Go on and introduce yourself, then," Virgil folded his arms across his chest, incredibly wary. He didn't know how long this woman was watching them, and he didn't _like_ that someone was watching them for an indeterminate amount of time without his knowing.  
  
How did she do it? _Why_ did she do it?  
  
"You may call me Drakaina," the woman replied.  
  
"Drakaina," Logan repeated. "In Greek mythology, a drakaina is a female dragon or serpent with humanesque features."  
  
"Fitting, isn't it?" Drakaina indicated the horns protruding from her temples on either side. "They also refer to me as the dragon witch."

"The dragon witch? What is that supposed to mean?" Virgil inquired.  
  
"The horns make the dragon part rather obvious, don't they?" Remus snorted.  
  
"I suppose you want to see my magic. That can be arranged. What is your favorite color?" Drakaina asked Virgil.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise, wondering what _that_ had to do with anything. "Purple?"  
  
Drakaina snapped her fingers. Roman let out a gasp.  
  
"What? What is it?" Virgil turned to look at Roman. Roman pointed behind Virgil. Virgil turned back around, only to find Drakaina standing with a smile on her face.  
  
"Oooh, do me next!" Remus clapped his hands together.  
  
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Virgil blurted out. His face was growing hotter by the minute. He didn't know what was going on and everyone was _staring_ at him and he just wanted answers!  
  
"Oh dear, that's right. You can't see it for yourself. Oh, unless..." Drakaina waved her hand and a mirror appeared in her hand out of thin air. She turned the mirror so that Virgil could see his reflection.  
  
His hair was _purple_.  
  
It looked...not bad? It matched the patches on his hoodie, at any rate.  
  
But she'd still changed his hair _without permission_ to prove a point and that didn't sit well with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Virgil wished that he had a moment to sit down and _process_ everything, or even just take notes! There was too much going on, and so much to process at once. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to explain everything to Dad if they made it home.  
  
When. _When_, not _if_. It had to be when, because the ifs were too terrifying to think about! Unfortunately, his own racing thoughts didn't receive that memo.

They were going to Drakaina's castle. Virgil didn't trust her any farther than he could throw her - which, despite the number of arms he had, wasn't very far - why would he want to go _anywhere_ with her?  
  
Remus and Roman were all for it, though. Logan, like Virgil, was hesitant. It wasn't until Drakaina revealed that they needed to travel to the castle in order for her to explain everything properly that Logan agreed to go as well. Virgil, at that point, was outnumbered. Roman, Remus, and Logan would be traveling up to the castle with or without him, and Virgil wasn't _about_ to leave them on their own. Logan might have a keen eye, but Virgil knew that Roman could be impulsive at the best of times. Remus seemed similar, if not _worse_.  
  
"You know, you really do look good with the purple hair," Roman told him as they walked.  
  
Virgil shrugged, chewing on his bottom lip.  
  
"Are you alright?" Roman frowned upon seeing Virgil's tense expression.  
  
"Its just a lot to take in," Virgil replied. It was the truth, it just wasn't the _whole_ truth.

"It is, isn't it?" Roman admitted. Contrary to Virgil, however, he didn't look upset. He looked _ecstatic_. "I know you're nervous, but this is an exciting adventure! Who _knows_ what's going to happen next?!"  
  
"That's exactly the problem," Virgil sighed. "We don't know what's going to happen next. If something goes wrong, we could be in deep shit." And it was hard for Virgil _not_ to consider the multitude of things that could go wrong. Did no one else care that none of them knew how to get home? Drakaina said that she would explain everything, but how far did 'everything' go?   
  
Did 'everything' even involve the way home? Or were they trapped here forever, no matter what they tried?  
  
At first, Virgil was afraid that their father would kill them, but now a different image flashed in his mind - Their father's _devastation_ that two more of his children went missing. Their father had _no idea_ whether they were safe or not, just like Remus. Sure, Virgil and Roman now knew that Remus was not only safe but happy, but...how long would that last?   
  
What had they _done_?  
  
"I guess we were on to something with this 'Taween' thing after all, weren't we?" Roman chuckled.  
  
That was when it hit Virgil - When Roman was three, he announced that he saw Remus 'in the Taween'. That meant that Roman and Remus, at the very least, traveled through this realm and made it out in one piece. Virgil had _proof_ that there was a way out standing right in front of him.   
  
It didn't help _much_, but it was better than nothing.  
  
"We were," Virgil agreed. "I just wouldn't have expected _this_."  
  
"Nor did we," Logan chimed in. "Interdimensional travel was not even on my list of considerations. I suppose it makes sense in hindsight, though."  
  
"Hindsight? That word always struck me as funny. Like, I get what it _means_, but doesn't it make you think of eyes on your butt?" Remus chuckled. "Or is that just me?"  
  
"It's just you, I assure you," Logan responded.  
  
"Well, actually..." Roman began, and Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
"We're almost there!" Drakaina called out from several feet ahead of them.  
  
At least in this case, Virgil was _glad_ that Drakaina cut Roman off.  
  
They stepped out of the forest at long last. _Huh, so there's more to this realm than just the forest after all,_ Virgil thought to himself. He suspected as much when Drakaina mentioned taking them to the castle, but for all they knew the castle might be in the middle of the forest.   
  
(Or said 'castle' might have actually been a worn down cabin in the woods, and Drakaina might have been taking them there to _eat_ them, in the vein of an old fairy tale...)  
  
As they stepped out into the clearing, they realized that this wasn't the case. Not only was there a castle in the distance, but there also appeared to be a small _town_ surrounding the castle.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Drakaina commented with a fond smile at the castle ahead.  
  
"It is," Roman gaped at the sight. It felt like something right out of a fairy tale.  
  
But there was always something more than met the eye in fairy tales, and Virgil suspected that to be the case here. He just wished he could put his finger on what...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for gross/potty humor (or poopy humor in this case) by...well, I'm sure you can guess who.

Virgil decided that he absolutely _did not_ like this realm, no matter when Roman and Remus said.  
  
Virgil couldn't tell what Logan thought. With the exception of the moment he realized that Roman was his long lost brother, Logan kept up a mostly indifferent visage. Virgil did suspect, though, that Logan was observing the world around them closely, trying to figure out it's secrets.  
  
Perhaps he _was_ being overly cautious, as Roman insisted when Virgil whispered his concerns to him. _Someone_ had to be, because Roman and Remus certainly weren't.  
  
The first thing Virgil noticed when they arrived at the castle were the number of people _bowing_.  
  
"Are you royalty?" Roman gasped.  
  
"In a sense," Drakaina shrugged.  
  
"So you're a _Queen_ Dragon Witch? You should have told us! It's like I've always said - If you got it, flaunt it!" Remus grinned.  
  
"Yes, but when you say it, it is not typically in reference to titles," Logan arched an eyebrow.  
  
"What else would he be...ohhhhh," Roman snickered once the realization hit him.  
  
"Come on, who doesn't want a piece of this?" Remus winked.  
  
"I can think of a few people," Virgil muttered, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward in spite of himself.

Even Drakaina chuckled, though Virgil couldn't tell whether she was doing so to be polite, or if she actually found Remus and Roman's antics amusing.  
  
"Your highness," a man came rushing up to them, bowing deeply to Drakaina. He eyed Virgil, Roman, Logan, and Remus. "To whom do I owe the pleasure?"  
  
"These four are from the other realms," Drakaina replied.  
  
The man bristled at that, though quickly regained his composure and nodded. "Is there anything I can get for you, your highness?"  
  
Drakaina shook her head. "That will be all. Thank you."  
  
The man gave another deep bow before walking away.  
  
Drakaina led them into what appeared to be a small meeting room. She motioned for the four to take a seat. Virgil reluctantly took a seat beside Roman, though he wasn't sure why he was so hesitant to _sit down_. It wasn't like the chair was going to leap up and bite him as he did so.  
  
"I know you still have a number of questions," Drakaina admitted once they were all settled in (or as close to being settled in as they could be).  
  
"Well no shit. You left us hanging like a dingleberry on one's backside!"[/i] Remus retorted.  
  
"..._that_ was a mental picture that none of us asked for," Roman groaned.  
  
"You're welcome!" Remus grinned.  
  
"How does this 'in-between' realm of sorts work? Clearly, this realm is more than just a passage between our two realms," Logan observed, trying to get them back on track.  
  
"You'd be correct, although it certainly functions as that as well," Drakaina admitted. "In fact, this is the only connection that remains between two worlds that were once so intimately connected that they may as well have been sister worlds."  
  
"...sister worlds?" Virgil arched an eyebrow at that.

"Our worlds were once connected?" Roman's eyes went wide.  
  
"Of course. Why do you think that each of your societies have stories painting the other as monsters?" Drakaina responded.  
  
"...the two societies stopped getting along, didn't they?" Virgil realized.  
  
"Isn't that how it always happens?" Drakaina smiled sadly.

\------------------------  
  
Dee didn't know what to do.  
  
Virgil and Roman were _gone_. He tried to tell himself that they probably went out without telling him, and that they'd be back soon. Virgil was 21 and Roman was 18; they were both adults. He didn't want to seem like an overprotective parent.  
  
Then _hours_ passed, still with no word. He tried calling them on their phones, but there was no response from either of them.  
  
Dee was growing more and more worried. He searched the house high and low, just to make sure that he wasn't missing something.  
  
He paused in the doorway to Remus' room. It looked similar to the way it was when Remus disappeared fifteen years before. Dee made sure it was kept that way.  
  
But there was two things that caught his attention. The first? The skirt of the bed was tucked upward, as if someone were looking under it earlier.  
  
The second? The picture of Virgil and Remus as children had fallen face first onto the table.  
  
Something was _wrong_, and Dee needed to find out what.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not posting yesterday. I meant to but...it didn't happen. Between Thanksgiving and the fact that the internet at my house went out for most of the day (and though I can get internet on my phone, I was trying not to use up all of the data at once, so I was trying to use it sparingly)...I figured it was best to just wait until today.

"There is a reason why stories of monsters, as well as creatures of myth and legend are common features of both of your worlds," Drakaina sighed.  
  
"Did those legends, perchance, start as smear campaigns?" Roman suggested.  
  
"Its hard to say. Some of them may have," Drakaina admitted. "It is just as likely that some of the stories were true. As you have all seen, creatures widely regarded as monsters in each of your worlds not only exist but comprise the primary population of a parallel world."  
  
"...do you have a bathroom nearby?" Virgil blurted out. He could already feel his heart beginning to race. He knew that the question probably came out of nowhere to the others, but Virgil didn't particularly care at this point in time. He had more pressing matters on his mind.  
  
Drakaina blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Down the hall and to the left. From there it will be the first door on the left."  
  
Virgil would have thanked Drakaina, but he was in too much of a rush. He ran down the hall, trying to find the bathroom in question. He must have made a wrong turn in his confusion, though this realization certainly didn't help his situation any.  
  
His thoughts were positively _racing_ at this point, and the only thing he could think to do was trying to find a place to sit.

He couldn't find anything in the immediate area, so he leaned against the wall and opted to use it to support himself instead.  
  
It was just..._too much_. Not that Virgil wasn't _happy_ to have the answers, it was just a lot to take in!  
  
When Virgil woke up in the morning, he was only aware of the existence of his own universe. It wasn't that he didn't believe in other universes at all - multiverse theory was something that he was familiar with - just that he had no reason to believe that the entrance to one existed just below his long lost brother's bed.  
  
He also wasn't aware that morning that he'd _find_ said long lost brother alive and well. Sure, Remus seemed to have developed a rather twisted sense of humor, but even at the age of three he'd been a fan of things that Virgil considered gross. He could still recall an incident where Remus not only ate a worm in front of him, but did so with _gusto_, just because he _knew_ it would make Virgil squirm and decided to have a little fun with it.  
  
Virgil certainly wasn't going to blame Logan's influence, not when Logan seemed _by far_ to be the calmer of the two.  
  
And _now_ he was being confronted with even more information about the two worlds and their histories with one another?  
  
Not to mention they _still_ had no idea how they were going to get home!  
  
...and where would Remus and Roman go when they found out? Virgil's eyes widened as he realized that he had _no idea_ what would happen. Would Remus want to come home with Virgil, or would he want to stay with Logan?  
  
What about Roman? Roman might have called Virgil and Dee his family earlier, but did he still feel that way now that he met Logan? Would he want to go home with Logan too? Was it possible that Virgil might wind up losing _both_ of his brothers?

Why did his mind have to focus on these aspects over everything else? Why did he immediately have to jump to the worst case scenario and run with it? He could tell that Roman, Remus, and even Logan were interested to learn all of this new information. Why did it seem like he was the only one overwhelmed?

A jolt went through Virgil as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He didn't know whether it was friend or foe, or someone in between. Virgil was already tense, though, so he braced himself for the worst as he turned to see who it was...


	15. Chapter 15

Imagine Virgil's surprise when _Logan_ stood before him.  
  
"L-Logan?" Virgil blurted out in shock.  
  
"Virgil, I want you to breathe in for four seconds. I will count for you," Logan instructed.  
  
There was something calming about Logan's voice. Virgil latched on to it like a lifeline.

Virgil managed a nod in response to Logan's request. Logan cleared his throat. "One...two...three...four. Now I would like you to hold your breath for seven seconds. One...two..."  
  
Virgil easily caught on, and Logan led him through several repetitions of this. Virgil wasn't new to breathing exercises, but this was the first time he'd seen this _particular_ exercise used.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Logan asked, presumably when he deduced that Virgil was calm enough to carry out a conversation once more.  
  
"Like crap," Virgil told him. Hey, he asked. If he didn't want the truth he shouldn't have said anything.  
  
"I suppose I should have expected a response like that," Logan admitted. "Though I am not prone to anxiety attacks myself, I have heard that the after effects can be quite cumbersome."  
  
"You can say that again," Virgil rolled his eyes.  
  
"I suppose...nevermind, that was a figure of speech, wasn't it?" Logan caught himself.  
  
One of the corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward.  
  
"Huh, if those are the results a comment like that can generate, perhaps I should not have stopped myself after all," Logan offered a slight smile in return. However, said smile fell once more as he regarded Virgil with a curious expression.  
  
"Are you able to pinpoint what may have triggered this response?" Logan wondered.  
  
Ha. Virgil should have known _that_ was coming. That said, at least he knew what precipitated the attack in this instance. They certainly did not _always_ have such easy to explain triggers. Sometimes he could not determine what set them off _himself_, let alone explain it to someone else.  
  
"This is not how I expected this day to go," Virgil confessed.  
  
"Nor did I," Logan agreed. "I knew that Remus initially appeared beneath Roman's bed, but I never would have fathomed...I am no stranger to multiverse theory, but this is no wormhole located millions or billions of light years away in space."  
  
"See, my familiarity with multiverse theory comes from books and movies and such," Virgil admitted.  
  
Logan let out a sigh. "You are not the only one who feels slightly overwhelmed by everything you have learned today. "  
  
"I'd say it was more that 'slightly' overwhelmed in my case," Virgil snorted.  
  
"Duly noted," Logan remarked. "I suspect that this is not your first experience with such an attack?"  
  
"I had my first panic attack when I was twelve," Virgil said with a wry grin. "So I've been dealing with 'em for just under half my life."

Logan nodded, a solemn expression on his face. "I can imagine how difficult that must have been for you."  
  
"Not as difficult as having to adjust to a brand new world like Roman and Remus did. How did they manage it?" Virgil sighed. "I can barely handle it _now_ and I'm in my 20s."  
  
"I believe their young age actually worked to their advantage," Logan noted. "Children are very adaptable."

Virgil nodded. He supposed that made sense. It was a lot easier to adjust when _everything_ was new, after all.  
  
"Speaking of Roman and Remus, I believe it is about time that we rejoin them. I'm sure they are curious as to what is taking us so long," Logan told him. Virgil opened his mouth to reply, but something stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," a new voice joined them. Virgil gulped. He didn't want to, but he knew that he _had_ to see who joined them. Virgil slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice. His stomach sank at the sight that greeted him. Drakaina's servant from earlier stood behind them, a leering grin on his face - and he'd brought reinforcements.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be forewarned...crude language AND outright mentions of sex in the second half of this chapter. And yes, I'm sure you can ALL guess who the culprit is.

The first thing that Virgil was aware of when he came to? That he was _not_ in a comfortable position.  
  
Firstly, he was fairly certain that he was laying on hard concrete. He also had a crick in his neck from the way he was laying. He tried to adjust his position, slowly attempting to open his eyes without temporarily _blinding_ himself in the process.  
  
"Oh good, you're awake. I was beginning to grow concerned," he heard a familiar voice say. _Logan's_ voice.  
  
Virgil's eyes shot open at once in his surprise. He immediately closed them again, letting out a loud hiss.  
  
"...did you just hiss at me?" Logan's voice sounded incredulous.  
  
"Not you. The light," Virgil clarified. "It's too bright."  
  
"Ah yes, it does take some time for one's eyes to adjust. I had the same issue myself when I awoke down here," Logan admitted.  
  
"...down here? What do you mean 'down here'? Under your brother's bed?" Virgil somehow doubted that was what Logan meant, but...he didn't even _want_ to give voice to the alternative answers coursing through his head.  
  
"If my hypothesis is correct, I believe we are current locked in a dungeon," Logan specified.  
  
...great, that was even worse than most of the alternative explanations that he'd mulled over in his head.  
  
Virgil managed to open his eyes to the point where he was able to squint. It was enough to make out some of the details. It was bright, but the lights appeared to be coming from torches rather than lightbulbs. He supposed it fit the medieval aesthetic of the place. Instead of concrete, the floor appeared to be made of stone. There were bars on the door.  
  
"Yep, my money's on dungeon too," Virgil said with a sigh.  
  
Given their last encounter before losing consciousness, Virgil had to admit that he was not at all surprised at this outcome. Virgil and Logan were caught off guard by Drakaina's servants. Between that and the fact that Virgil and Logan were outnumbered? They hardly stood a _chance_ against their attackers.  
  
Captors now, by the looks of it. Virgil cursed mentally.  
  
"I knew we shouldn't have trusted her," Virgil snarled. "She knew too much."  
  
"I admit that I was suspicious as well, though I did not feel that we should act until we had more evidence. Clearly, that was the wrong decision," Logan mused.  
  
"No shit," Virgil mumbled. "They're probably going to leave us here to rot."  
  
"I don't believe they are. Not yet at least," Logan responded.  
  
"Why not?" Virgil was surprised by how sure Logan sounded.  
  
"Did you not here what the head servant said just before they overwhelmed us?" Logan frowned.  
  
"I was more concerned with _not being overwhelmed by them_," Virgil snapped in reply.  
  
"...a fair point. I did happen to overhear the lead servant's comment to one of his other servants, however, and I believe that what he said might be of import," Logan revealed.  
  
"What did he say?" Virgil wondered.  
  
"He told them not to bang us up too much, as he wanted us to be fit for interrogation," Logan continued.  
  
"Interrogation? They're going to interrogate us? What the hell for?!" Virgil gaped in outrage. If anyone ought to be doing the interrogating, it should be Virgil and Logan!  
  
Virgil ground his teeth together. He wasn't sure whether to be frightened or _angry_, and he felt a fair mixture of both.

Virgil lifted one of his arms and shot webbing at one of the bars. He tried pulling it, to no avail.  
  
"Thought it was worth a shot," he explained to Logan, feeling a bit sheepish.  
  
"Naturally," Logan replied. "I would have attempted the same in your position.  
  
"What do we do now?" Virgil groaned.  
  
"I'm not certain, but I suspect that we'll have a considerable amount of time to ponder on the subject," Logan admitted in a grave tone.  
  
Virgil wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
\------------------  
  
Roman frowned, glancing over at the door. Virgil was taking an _incredibly_ long time to return from the bathroom, and Logan left a number of minutes ago as well. What was taking them so long?  
  
"Something troubling you?" Drakaina's voice drew his attention away from the door.  
  
"Just wondering what is taking our brothers so long," Roman frowned.  
  
"They're probably fucking in the bathroom," Remus remarked.  
  
"...what the hell, dude?" Roman stared.  
  
Remus shrugged. "What? I _can't_ be the only one who thought it!"  
  
Roman huffed. "I certainly wasn't! First off, Virgil is _asexual_, so-"  
  
"I think Logan is too," Remus admitted. "Swapping spit in the bathroom, then. Either way, there's definitely an exchange of body fluids going on!" he grinned.  
  
"I..." Roman shook his head in exasperation, then turned to Drakaina. "I'm incredibly sorry your highness."  
  
Drakaina in the meantime wore a bemused expression. "No, no, don't mind me..."  
  
She didn't seem to know _what_ to say, and Roman could hardly blame her.


	17. Chapter 17

Virgil and Logan had plenty of time to mull over their options for an escape. Unfortunately, they still had a long way to go when the ringleader of the servants who captured them descended the stairs, stopping just outside of the bars that kept Virgil and Logan from their freedom.  
  
"Who wants to go first?" he called out with a sickeningly sweet smile pasted upon his face.  
  
Virgil glared back at him.  
  
"You don't have to volunteer all at once!" the man smirked. "Though one of you really ought to do so soon, before I do. I don't think you want me to _choose_ whose going to go first. That'll make it worse for both of you!"  
  
"What does this interrogation entail? Why can you not interrogate us both at the same time?" Logan folded his arms across his chest, eyeing the servant.  
  
The man scoffed. "You think you're hot shit, don't you? Yes, I believe I will interrogate you first. Maybe then you'll learn to think better of mouthing off to the wrong people."

A few other servants came down the stairs behind the head servant. He retrieved a key and placed it into the lock of the cell holding Virgil and Logan.There was a rush of activity as the door opened. Two of the servants seized Logan by the arms and pulled him to his feet.  
  
Virgil narrowed his eyes and seized his opportunity. He threw himself at one of the servants, hoping to knock him off balance at best and get him to unleash Logan at worst.  
  
Neither of these things happened. Unfortunately, the guard was more than prepared for his fury and moved to block him. Virgil growled and grabbed him by the wrist, only to receive a nasty surprise as pain coursed through his body all at once, forcing him to let go.  
  
The head guard laughed, clapping his hands together. "Oh, wonderful show. We may just go easy on you for providing that _quality_ entertainment when your turn comes! Do not fret; your friend's turn may be first, but yours will come soon enough!"

Virgil tried to jump to his feet once more, but was horrified to discover that his limbs were so sore that he could barely move them.  
  
"I see you're enjoying one of our favorite little toys. It's imbued with some of the strongest magic in the land. I wouldn't try moving much in the next couple of hours - It'll only make everything hurt worse. Honestly, you might come to see the interrogation as a blessing after that!" the man chuckled.  
  
Virgil glared daggers at the man. Logan continued to wrestle with his captors until one of them smacked him over the head and he fell still.  
  
"Logan!" Virgil shouted. At least _talking_ didn't hurt too badly, though as he tried to get up to check on his new friend, another wave of pain shot through him and he had to grind his teeth together to keep from crying out.  
  
He would not give them that satisfaction.  
  
Much to Virgil's surprise, the head servant did not look entirely pleased with this new development either. "Idiot! We need him neurologically intact in order to extract as much information from him as possible!" he hissed.  
  
"I didn't hit him that hard," the offending servant frowned.  
  
"You better hope that you did not! I'd hate to see what happens to you when the _Queen_ finds out!" the leader snarled as the group ascended the stairs, leaving Virgil alone.  
  
_Alone._ With no one to talk to, even though talking seemed to be the only motion he was capable of initiating without undergoing severe pain. _Alone_, worried about what they were doing to Logan, what they would do to _him_ next.  
  
Virgil didn't know Logan for long, but with only the two of them to keep each other company while they were trapped, they had no choice _but_ to get to know each other.  
  
Virgil hated the thought of failing Logan, his new friend. Even more, though, he felt as though he was failing Roman and Remus.  
  
Roman, who finally met the brother he was separated from at the age of three, and Remus, the brother that _Virgil_ was separated from, who grew up alongside Logan.  
  
He failed them both, and he continued to fail them every moment he sat there unable to move without debilitating pain wracking his entire body.  
  
He was utterly helpless, and he _hated_ it...


	18. Chapter 18

Over the course of the next hour, the pain in his limbs gradually dissipated. By the time the hour was up, Virgil was not only back on his face, but pacing back and forth behind the bars like a caged animal.  
  
Logan and the guards weren't back yet. Virgil was so worried that he hardly knew what to do with himself. There was little he could do, though - He and Logan already tried every method they could conjure up earlier, and that was with Logan _present_. Not only did having an extra person make brainstorming easier, but that extra person was _Logan_. If Virgil had to be honest, most of their escape ideas came from Logan.  
  
That put Virgil at a major disadvantage now that he was the only one left in the cell.  
  
It also meant that Virgil's imagination had nothing to keep it in check as he continued to think of possible worst case scenarios. The guards specifically used the word _interrogation_ over questioning, which led Virgil to believe that there would most certainly be violence involved. They had no qualms over using violence to subdue Virgil and Logan, after all - and that happened _twice_.  
  
He could only imagine how rough they'd be when they were trying to extract information from someone unwilling.  
  
...but _why_?  
  
What sort of information could Virgil and/or Logan have that would warrant _that_ sort of treatment? This was all brand new to Virgil. He wouldn't doubt that the servants had more information than he and Logan did, and that _they_ ought to be the ones doing the questioning.  
  
(Questioning, not interrogating, because Virgil saw no reason to go that far - save, perhaps, for revenge.)  
  
Virgil froze in his tracks when he heard footsteps echoing from down the hall. He tensed at once, his hands clenching into fists automatically. A slight pain shot up his arms as he did so, the last hurrah of the weapon used against him earlier. A reminder that they were willing to take drastic action to neutralize him if he tried to fight back.  
  
He still considered fighting back. His chance of success might be low, but it was better than nothing, and if he _did_ escape, he could concentrate on ensuring that Logan, Roman, and Remus were safe as well and that they all _left this place_ and _never came back ever ever again_!

Even if...even if he feared what Roman and Remus would decide when that time came.

He supposed that they were done with Logan. That was good, and he hoped that Logan came through it all in one piece. It meant that it was _his_ turn, but...honestly, he had a strong feeling that he'd be able to handle the interrogation better than he handled this. At least with the interrogation he wouldn't spend his whole time worrying what was going on, because he'd be _living_ it.  
  
...what if Logan was unconscious, though? What if they'd beaten him to a pulp? He was convinced that Logan wouldn't talk (mainly because there was little for Logan to _say_ when, like Virgil, he was still learning), so how far would they push him to try to get him to say...whatever it was that they were looking for?   
  
As easy as it was to make assumption, Virgil knew that he couldn't necessarily afford to do so in this instance.  
  
Virgil felt his stomach sink when he only saw one shadow enter the room. They didn't bring Logan back, because Logan was in no condition to be moved. He _knew_ it. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was going to come next. They only sent one guard because they were coming to fetch him next, so that he could _join_ Logan.  
  
The figure moved from the shadows, the corners of his mouth twitching upward at the sight of Virgil.  
  
Virgil, on the other hand, nearly fell over in surprise as his own eyes fell upon the bespectacled young man that stepped out from the shadows. "Logan?"


	19. Chapter 19

Virgil let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding when he saw that Logan was alright.  
  
...relatively speaking.  
  
One look at Logan told Virgil that Logan wasn't at 100%. He had a black eye, there was blood dripping from his nose, had a large scratch on his arm, and he walked with a limp - and those were only the injuries that Virgil could _see_. He was well aware that Logan might be further injured.  
  
"Logan! Are you-" Virgil trailed off. He was about to ask if Logan was _okay_, but he stopped himself because he already knew the answer. Logan was hurt, and Virgil couldn't stop it from happening. Instead he'd been a useless _lump_ trapped in a jail cell barely able to move for the better part of an hour.  
  
...but what was going on? Logan was _by himself_. There were no servants in sight.  
  
"Injured? I would attempt to deny it but I believe that you would easily see through such falsehoods," Logan replied.  
  
"Where are the guards?" Virgil frowned.  
  
"Unconscious. At least, they were when I left them. I can only hope this continues to be the case for the foreseeable future," Logan admitted. "I also managed to slip this from one of them," he removed a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock on the cell.  
  
The door opened, and Virgil stepped through.  
  
He was _free_. A grin slowly began to creep onto his features as he stretched out, thrilled to be out in the open once more. He was starting to grow antsy trapped behind bars.  
  
"I believe we should locate Roman and Remus as quickly as possible," Logan declared.  
  
Virgil's grin faltered as he recalled the extent of the situation that they were in. Logan was right; they didn't have time to celebrate. The servants could awaken and sound the alarm at any moment. Roman and Remus might _already_ be in danger.  
  
They needed to find Roman and Remus and then _get the hell out of dodge_.

...but how were they supposed to do that when they had no idea where Roman and Remus even _were_?  
  
"You didn't happen to steal a map to the castle when you stole that key, did you?" Virgil asked.  
  
Logan shook his head. "Unfortunately, I did not. It took me a considerable amount of time to locate you, and you were located on the same floor."  
  
"And the last time we saw Roman and Remus, they were on the main floor," Virgil sighed. "Did you see any other dungeons on the way over here that they might be keeping Roman and Remus in?"  
  
"If I located Roman and Remus, I assure you that I would have tried to free them immediately," Logan replied. "Wherever our brothers may be located, it is not the dungeons."  
  
"Great. They could be _anywhere_," Virgil groaned.  
  
"But they are not locked within the dungeons," Logan reminded him.  
  
"Right, and that narrows out, what, one floor? They still could be anywhere in this castle!" Virgil hissed. He could feel his heart rate speeding up.  
  
"Perhaps, but they are not _locked up_ in the dungeons," Logan repeated, emphasizing two words that he did not emphasize before. It was this gesture that finally got through to Virgil, as it hit him at once what Logan was trying to tell him. "They're still free. And if they're still free, they're less likely to be in danger."  
  
That meant that Virgil and Logan still had time left to get to them.  
  
Virgil could breathe easier again, at least for the time being.  
  
"I believe I located a staircase a couple of turns back, if you want to follow me," Logan told him. While Logan led the way, Virgil kept his eyes peeled for any threats. It did not escape his notice that Logan did not _kill_ the guards, he merely incapacitated them. And who knew how long that was going to last?  
  
All six of Virgil's arms were clenched into fists. He was ready to attack at a moment's notice if danger decided to present itself...


	20. Chapter 20

When Virgil and Logan finally reached the room they left Remus, Roman, and Drakaina in, the three were _gone_.  
  
Virgil knew that he ought to have expected as much, but it was still a blow. He felt nauseous. His brother - his _brothers_ \- could be anywhere!  
  
"We need to find them," Logan frowned. "Who knows what that Dragon Witch might be doing to them as we speak?"  
  
A fresh wave of panic washed over Virgil at those words. "Did...did you hear the servants say anything about where she might have them?"  
  
A brief flash of anger crossed Logan's features as he clenched his fists. He furrowed his brow. "Possibly the third floor. There is a room where she practices her magic located on the third floor, or so I heard. What better way to ensure that she has them at her mercy than with a bit of magic?"  
  
Virgil considered what Logan was saying and nodded. "We need to find the third floor, then. I just hope we're not too late."  
  
Virgil started off down the hall, missing the brief smirk that crossed Logan's features before he followed suit.  
  
A bit of magic indeed...  
  
\------------------------  
  
"Are you sure this will help us locate Virgil and Logan?" Roman asked as he watched Drakaina mix several ingredients into a cauldron.  
  
"It's either that or we scour the castle up and down, and that could take hours. Hours that we don't have," Drakaina admitted, adding another ingredient to her mixture.  
  
"Hours we don't have? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Remus frowned.  
  
"Virgil and Logan's disappearance has me worried that something is amiss within this castle," Drakaina admitted.  
  
"No shit sherlock," Remus huffed. "And I'm starting to suspect that _you_ had something to do with it!"  
  
"I can see why you might think that," Drakaina noted. "And you're not entirely wrong."  
  
Roman gasped. "You _did_ have something to do with this!" He felt betrayed, but more than that he felt _foolish_. Virgil was right to question Drakaina's motives, and Virgil blew him off. Now Virgil and Logan were in danger, and he could have _done something_ earlier!  
  
"I did," Drakaina insisted. "Though perhaps not in the way that you think. Allow me to finish crafting this potion, then I will explain-"  
  
"Nah, I don't think so. Catch, Roro!" Remus grinned wildly and seized one of the bottles off of the shelf and tossed it to Roman, who caught it in mid-air. Roman popped the cork off, holding it threateningly over the potion.  
  
Drakaina gasped. Clearly, whatever the Dragon Witch _actually_ was working on was important to her. "You explain now. Unless you want an entire bottle of Eye Of Newt in your cauldron." He tipped the bottle ever so slightly - not enough to drop any of the ingredients into the potion, but enough to convey that he was perfectly willing to do so if Drakaina did not cooperate.  
  
Drakaina's eyes went wide. Then, she did something that neither Roman nor Remus were expecting.  
  
She started to laugh.

Roman tensed, though he kept a tight hold on the bottle in question.  
  
The laughter did not let up. Roman and Remus glanced to one another, mirroring each other's confused expressions.  
  
"What a show! You two work wonderfully together!" Drakaina managed to say after regaining her composure. "It reminds me so much of old times!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yeah some of you called what was going on with Logan pfff


	21. Chapter 21

"Just like old times?" Roman was caught off guard by this admission.  
  
Drakaina nodded. "You didn't think that the time when you two switched worlds was the only time that you entered this realm, did you?"  
  
"Honestly, I didnt even know that I was _born_ in a different realm until my brother and father told me," Roman admitted.  
  
"Yup, samesies," Remus agreed.  
  
"You had to have known _something_ was off, though," Drakaina said with a bemused expression.  
  
"You mean my family's lack of tentacles? Yeah, I caught on to that one pretty quick," Remus snorted.  
  
"Yeah, but traveling to different dimensions? We were three at the time," Roman chuckled. "Even if we did recall our travels, we could have easily chalked it up to the extensive imagination of a child."  
  
"Well, some of it admittedly was," Drakaina chuckled. "As I recall, both of you had wild imaginations. It was such a delight seeing the two of you play together, but...I knew it could not last. Tell me, how were your childhoods?"  
  
"...jeez, let's skip the introductions and go right into the childhood trauma then!" Remus cleared his throat then began to sing in a high pitched voice. "When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city, to see a marching band~"  
  
"...yeah, you're definitely Virgil's brother," Roman said with a snort. "My childhood was...nice. I don't know that I would change it, even knowing what I do now. I mean, it's good knowing Logan, and I'd like to get to know him more, but Virgil is still my big bro."  
  
"Good, cause you can't keep Logan. I'm willing to share him, but he's mine," Remus stuck out his tongue.  
  
"I'm glad. Things didn't go quite the way I expected them to when I closed the portal, but I'm glad that you were still happy," Drakaina told them.  
  
"You closed the portal?" Roman frowned.  
  
"Aha, so the dastardly witch finally admits it!" Remus pointed an accusatory finger at Drakaina.  
  
"I did. I did not think that it was healthy, the two of you traveling between my realm and yours. Truthfully, I should have never opened the portals in the first place. I just...I had to see my..." Drakaina sighed wistfully.  
  
"...your _what_ now? Sorry, don't think I heard you." Remus stuck a finger in his ear, as if trying to clear it out to make certain that he did not miss anything. He retrieved a considerable amount of wax on his fingertip. He rolled it up into a ball between his fingers and tossed it at Roman. "Think fast!"  
  
"Ewww, gross!" Roman groaned, trying to jump out of the way.  
  
"Three points!" Remus said with a mischievous smirk.  
  
Drakaina laughed. It sounded almost musical in quality. "I didn't expect the portals to open again. It takes powerful magic to open those portals. I do not think that one of you could have done it alone. I do not believe that it is coincidence that both of you are here at the same time. I believe that the only way that portal could have opened up is if both of you were seeking answers at precisely the same time."  
  
"You think _we_ opened the portals?" Roman gaped.

"...does that make us witches too, then?" Remus grinned eagerly, tapping his chin with one of his tentacles. "Oh, I could have so much fun with this..."  
  
"It would stand to reason," Drakaina noted. "You are descended from magic blood."  
  
"Both of us?" Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
"But of course,' Drakaina replied. "You're twins, after all."  
  
"We're _what_?" Roman blurted out.  
  
Remus started to laugh. "We don't even look like we're the same species, let alone _twins_!"  
  
"No, you don't, and that's what makes you so special. Twins are rare enough in this world. Twins like yourselves - one with characteristics from one realm and one with characteristics from the other - I knew you were special from the moment I laid my eyes on you," Drakaina confessed.  
  
"Of course, its likely that I would have felt that way regardless." she admitted with a sheepish expression. She smiled fondly at them both. "I am your mother, after all."


	22. Chapter 22

That was a _lot_ to take in, and Roman was at a rare loss for words. Even Remus seemed unable to come up with any sort of quip or disgusting comment.  
  
What could they even _say_ after am admission like that?  
  
"You're our mother?" Roman asked in a quiet voice. He'd never had a mother before, and if this majestic _queen_ was his mother...  
  
A scoff from beside Roman drew him from his fantasies. "Prove it," Remus said with a smirk.

Roman was taken aback by the demanding tone that Remus took. "If we did indeed open up the portal to this world, that implies that we have magic, and we had to have inherited that magic from somewhere. Some_one_," Roman hastily corrected, glancing toward Drakaina.  
  
"You call _that_ proof?" Remus arched an eyebrow.  
  
"What? I mean, I realize it is not definitive proof, but it proves that at least part of what she is saying is true. We opened up that portal," Roman argued.  
  
"No, it proves that you _want_ at least part of what she is saying to be true," Remus pointed out. "And why wouldn't you want it to be true? You've entered this _amazing_ other realm, where a woman has come to you professing to be your mother. A woman who happens to be a _queen_, which would make you a prince. Sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? Like a fairy tale brought to life!"  
  
"Exactly!" Roman grinned, thinking that Remus was finally starting to come around.  
  
"Hate to break it to you, but life ain't a fairy tale," Remus scoffed. Roman felt as though he'd been punched in the gut in one fell swoop at those words. "You _want_ this to be a fairy tale. The weirdo entering a fantastic new world and discovering that he's a prince with fantastical magic. The orphan boy who doesn't know his biological family, only to discover that his mother is a _queen_, that she has _magic_, that he might have _inherited_ that magic. That he's something special, that he's something great. That he's not just some freak who has to hide who he is in his day to day life so that people don't run screaming."  
  
"Stop it," Roman breathed. "Please stop." What Remus was saying cut through Roman like a knife, exposing each and every insecurity that he'd kept buried over the years. He loved Virgil. He loved his father. But he always did wonder where he'd truly come from. He always wished that he were like his brother and father, that he could _blend in_. That he wasn't some sort of freak. Everything that Drakaina told them...it pointed to everything that he ever wanted. Of course he wanted to believe her.  
  
But should he?  
  
"Why should I stop?" Remus continued despite Roman's protests. "It's true, isn't it?"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Roman snarled. "You don't know what you're talking about!"  
  
Remus chuckled darkly. "I don't know what I'm talking about? Oh, that's rich. You don't think I've been through the exact same thing? I love Logan. I love Dad. But you don't think I stand out? You don't think I _long_ to let my tentacles roam free? That I'm sick of being forced to hide in the shadows? Even _Logan_ thinks I'm some sort of alien. Don't get me wrong, he's fascinated by it, but it just goes to show how much _different_ I am from everyone else. And I love being different, but I love being different for things I can _control_, not things that I can't."  
  
Roman wanted to cover his ears. He wanted to ignore what Remus was saying. It was easier to pretend that Remus was deliberately trying to hurt him, that Remus couldn't possibly understand where he was coming from.  
  
Whether they were twins or not, though, the fact remained that Remus was his counterpart in ways that were utterly _impossible_ to argue against. They both were aliens to the realms that they grew up in. Not only that, but they each grew up within the family that the other was supposed to. If anyone understood what Roman was going through, it was Remus.  
  
...which was why it hurt _worse_ to hear Remus say all of these things, knowing that Remus could very well be right. That he probably _was_ right. 


	23. Chapter 23

"I can hear them," Virgil breathed. "I can _hear them_."  
  
Roman and Remus were still safe, but for how long?  
  
Logan scowled. "Virgil, step aside."  
  
Virgil pulled his ear away from the door, turning to his new friend in confusion. "I already tried the door. It's locked."  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow. "And why should that stop us? Don't you care about your brother?"  
  
Virgil's stomach lurched. He didn't - of course he wanted to make sure that his brother was safe! How could Logan question that?!  
  
Then again, it wasn't like Logan knew Virgil well. He might actually doubt Virgil's dedication. The thought made Virgil sick.  
  
"Step aside," Logan repeated. "I know a way in."  
  
Virgil wordlessly stepped aside. Logan reached into his pocket and retrieved a set of keys, much to Virgil's surprise. "Where did you get those?" he hissed.  
  
Logan rolled his eyes. "I stole them off of one of the guards that I knocked out, of course."  
  
Virgil blanched at Logan's tone. Had he pissed Logan off _that_ badly? There was no reason for Logan to be particularly warm toward Virgil - they hardly knew each other - but Virgil thought they were building up a rapport while they were in the dungeons. Did Virgil ruin that with one stupid comment?  
  
Logan slid the key into the door and pulled it open.  
  
Drakaina stood in front of Roman and Remus. They were _safe_, much to Virgil's relief. The three turned at once when they realized that they were no longer alone, and that two new challengers had entered the arena.  
  
"The jig is up, Dragon Witch. I have grown tired of your games," Logan scoffed.  
  
Drakaina shot Logan a bewildered look.   
  
Logan turned to Remus and Roman. "We were kidnapped and thrown in a cell by her guards. I only just managed to escape. Don't believe _anything_ that she tells you."  
  
Remus scowled. "I knew it."  
  
Roman looked as though he'd been stricken. The glass that was in his hand fell to the ground, shattering. And it was _that_ shattering that seemed to set everything that happened next into motion.  
  
Drakaina's eyes widened slightly as she observed Logan. Drakaina stepped closer to Logan, her eyes slowly narrowing. Virgil clenched his fists, ready to do whatever he could to help Logan against Drakaina. But...what chance did they stand going face to face with a dragon witch? "I don't know what you're playing at, but-"  
  
"TAKE THAT!" Remus shouted, tossing one of the potion bottles directly at Drakaina's head. The bottle met its mark and there was a flash of color followed by a loud bang, and Drakaina fell unconscious.  
  
Remus let out a whooping noise. "Now _that's_ three points!" he said with a prideful smirk.  
  
Roman had since regained his composure, though he still looked both surprised and confused. "I don't get it."  
  
"Don't get what?" Remus frowned. "I whacked the Dragon Witch upside the head with the bottle, and she fell to the ground. We win!"  
  
"And we all get to live happily ever after, right?" Roman arched an eyebrow. "Except _you're_ the one who said that happily ever afters don't usually come that easily."  
  
"That's not exactly what I said, but I'm glad that you got the gist of it at least!" Remus replied cheerfully.   
  
"This was too easy. Something isn't right," Roman muttered.  
  
"Foolishness," Logan huffed. "Utter foolishness. We need not stand around and debate this matter. We need to leave."  
  
Remus turned to Logan. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said that we need to leave," Logan reiterated.   
  
"No, before that," Remus frowned.  
  
"I said that this was foolish and that we need not stand around and debate this matter?" Logan furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
Roman sighed. "I think Logan's right. I think we need to get out of here before things get any worse." Roman started for the door. Virgil was about to follow when he noticed that Remus hadn't moved an inch.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Remus remarked.  
  
"What do you mean you're not going anywhere? Do you want her to wake up before we get out of here?" Virgil hissed.  
  
"I think I might take my chances with her, honestly," Remus admitted.  
  
"What are you saying, Remus?" Logan's tone was colder than Virgil had ever heard it, and it sent chills down Virgil's spine. Alarm bells were starting to go off in his head.  
  
"I think you know damn well what I'm saying, Logie-poo. Except that's not who you are, is it?" Remus tilted his head.  
  
Virgil turned to Logan with an imploring expression, hoping that Logan would explain everything that happened and soothe Remus' doubts.  
  
Instead, an uncharacteristically malicious grin spread across Logan's features.  
  
"I suppose it was inevitable that _one_ of you saw through my disguise. Not that it matters. You've already assisted me in the most difficult part of this endeavor," Logan smirked, indicating Drakaina's figure on the ground.  
  
Virgil stared at Logan with growing horror.  
  
"Take 'em away, boys," Logan declared with a snap of his fingers, as several guards burst through the doors.  
  
Not only that, Logan's features melted and shifted, until it was no longer Logan standing before him.  
  
Instead, Virgil stood face to face with the same guard from earlier.  
  
"This is a coup," Roman realized.  
  
But it was too late for Virgil, Remus, and Roman to take back what they'd already done, much to their chagrin.


	24. Chapter 24

Virgil found himself back in the _same_ cell that he and Logan were kept in before, only this time with two additional cellmates.  
  
Logan was there too. Virgil felt like an _idiot_ \- He _helped_ the asshole posing as Logan. He fell for the guard's act, and that felt like a betrayal to Logan. Sure, he might not know Logan that well, but he should have been able to tell the difference! If he had, he might have been able to stop this coup before it got to this point.  
  
Now Drakaina was unconscious and Virgil, Logan, Roman, and Remus were locked up. No one stood in their way. They could do whatever they wanted.  
  
"Please do not take this the wrong way, but I was hoping that we would not be reunited in this way," Logan remarked.  
  
Virgil wanted to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. His tongue felt as if it had tied itself into a knot.  
  
"At least we have more time to get to know one another?" Roman pointed out with a feeble smile, clearly trying to cheer the others up.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
"You sound just like Dad," Remus snickered. "Only without the ridiculous puns."  
  
"He does, doesn't he?" Logan agreed. "We ought to have left a note for him," he sighed.  
  
Virgil's stomach lurched at the thought of his own father. Surely he'd noticed Virgil and Roman's absence by this point. What if they never got out of here? What if they were doomed to spend the rest of their lives here? Dee would never see his sons again - _any_ of them.  
  
"I knew he wasn't you," Remus admitted to Logan, calling Virgil's attention back to the cell proper. Virgil wasn't sure whether to be grateful for the distraction from his own thoughts or despondent at the reminder of how _hopeless_ their situation was.  
  
"Oh?" Logan blinked, looking mildly surprised.  
  
"Yup. He didn't say falsehood _once_ during a conversation where he was admonishing us for dilly-dallying around! I was like 'oh _hell_ no, I know my big bro, and he never misses an opportunity to use the word falsehood!'," Remus declared.  
  
"Really? He uses it that much? What a nerd," Roman snickered.  
  
"Falsehood!" Logan blurted out.  
  
Even Virgil could not resist the slightest of smiles at this.

It was needed levity, after everything they'd been through.  
  
"I'm sorry that I didn't recognize it sooner," Virgil finally managed to say.  
  
Logan turned to him with a puzzled expression. "Pardon?"  
  
"I didn't...not only did I not recognize that the imposter wasn't you, but I helped him," Virgil admitted.  
  
"I would not expect you to have recognized that the imposter was an imposter. The magic he used to disguise his true appearance was flawless," Logan lamented.  
  
"That didn't mean that he could nail your personality perfectly! Remus saw through it!" Virgil pointed out.  
  
"Pssh, I didn't spend 15 years with this nerd just to come out of it with no knowledge as to what makes him tick!" Remus snorted.  
  
"Remus is correct," Logan noted. "Remus readily recognized the imposter because we grew alongside one another. That fifteen year was not for naught, and you can hardly expect to have gained such knowledge after one day."  
  
The same argument that Virgil tried to use to comfort himself earlier, but somehow it was easier to take it seriously when it was said by someone else. Perhaps it was the fact that it was Logan _himself_ saying it, Logan _himself_ reassuring Virgil that there were no hard feelings.  
  
"But enough about all that! Shouldn't we make like a rocket and blast our way out of here?" Remus piped up.  
  
"...that's not a figure of speech, is it?" Logan arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Nope!" Remus replied cheerily. "Just need a few crates of TNT..."  
  
"Nobody is blowing up anything," Virgil insisted.  
  
"Well duh, we don't have the supplies," Remus chuckled.  
  
Virgil suspected that a lack of supplies was the _only_ thing keeping Remus from trying, though, and not how _unsafe_ that could be while they were still trapped in this cell with nowhere else to go.

As crude as Remus' methods were, though, they needed to find _some_ way out of this cell, lest they spend the rest of eternity as prisoners to whatever new regime the guards were trying to set up.

And if it came down to using TNT...


	25. Chapter 25

Though they tried, the quartet had yet to find a viable escape from their prison. It was now nighttime, and Virgil was the only one of the four awake.  
  
He sighed and rolled over, trying to get comfortable. He was undoubtedly tired, but he had trouble falling asleep at _home_ on occasion, let alone on a hard concrete floor.  
  
He also had a lot on his mind, but that came as no surprise.  
  
There was also a part of Virgil that feared that they would miss something incredibly important if they were _all_ asleep. Someone had to stand (er, _lay_) watch, and it might as well be the guy that had difficulty sleeping on the best of days.  
  
Best of days. Virgil couldn't think of a descriptor that fit this day _less_.

Fatigue plagued his mind, making it hard to think clearly, but a closer observation of the other figures huddled on the ground caused a jolt to tear through him.  
  
There were only two figures there.  
  
_How_? Virgil was awake the whole time, how could the mutineers have taken one of the others without his noticing?  
  
A shadow suddenly dropped into his view from above, and Virgil had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out.  
  
Perhaps it wasn't the mutineers after all. Perhaps they were at the behest of some sort of _shadow creature_ that was also being kept in the cells. Perhaps that was the mutineers' plan all along, to have the shadow monster dispose of Virgil, Logan, Roman, and Remus while they went about taking over the kingdom.  
  
Virgil forced himself to swallow around the growing lump in his throat. He was terrified, but he knew that he had no choice but to get a glimpse of the creature if he ever hoped to fight back. And he _had_ to fight back; if not for himself, for his brothers and his newfound friend.   
  
Virgil cast his gaze upward, ready to take stock of the characteristics of this creature so that he would be equipped to handle it...  
  
..when he realized that the figure floating above him took a distinctly humanoid shape.  
  
Another jolt of surprise went through Virgil as he realized that the figure floating above them was no shadow monster.  
  
It was _Roman_.  
  
His brother was literally _floating in his sleep_.  
  
It seemed like something from a fantasy novel - but then, what didn't as of late?  
  
Virgil wasn't entirely sure what to do. Part of him wanted to call out to his brother, but he quickly recognized the inherent danger of waking Roman when he was floating in mid-air. He couldn't just let this pass without doing _something_, though, so he reached out and shook the figure closest to him awake.  
  
"What in the name of Isaac Newton-" he heard Logan's sleep-laden voice blurt out.  
  
"Look up," Virgil hissed back, voice scarcely above a whisper.  
  
A few seconds of silence passed as Logan presumably did as Virgil requested, punctuated by a gasp. "Is this...does Roman normally levitate in his sleep, or is this a new development?" Logan whispered.  
  
Virgil couldn't help it as he let out a snort of amusement. He understood why Logan was asking, of course. Logan didn't know the norms of the world that Virgil and Roman grew up in, and for all Logan knew, this _might_ be something perfectly expected. Logan just asked this question in such a _matter-of-fact_ tone that his tone oddly enough provided a bit of levity to such a bizarre moment. "No, this is totally new. I'm guessing people don't just float in their sleep in your world either?" he whispered back.  
  
"They do not," Logan confirmed.

Virgil and Logan both turned when they heard movement on the other side of Logan. By the sound of it, Remus was waking up. There was a short pause, then-

"HOLY SHITBALLS, ROMAN IS FLYING!" Remus shouted.

Roman plummeted down to the ground at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not posting yesterday - I've had a busy weekend, between my uncle's funeral and visiting other family for holiday stuff.


	26. Chapter 26

"Oof!" Virgil grunted as Roman fell on top of himself and Logan.  
  
"Huh?" Roman blurted out.  
  
"Get off!" Virgil hissed, trying to push his brother off of him so that he might breathe a little easier.  
  
"Oh shit, sorry Virge! And...Logan?" Roman furrowed his brow as he realized that Logan was beneath him as well.  
  
"Less talking, more moving," Virgil urged Roman, and Roman thankfully obliged.  
  
"My apologies, I..." Roman frowned. "Have no idea how I wound up on top of you two?" he admitted.  
  
"You were levitating in your sleep," Logan replied. "Is this something that you have experienced in the past, or is this a new phenomenon?"

"I was _what_?!" Roman gaped.  
  
"I can infer from your response that it is the latter. Thank you," Logan responded.  
  
"What do you mean I was _levitating in my sleep_?" Roman questioned.  
  
"You were floating a few feet above us," Virgil explained.  
  
"We did not wish to wake you up, lest something like this happened, but Remus had other plans," Logan added.  
  
"What? Someone had to wake him up, and if you two weren't gonna do it..." Remus grinned. "By the way Roman, it was nice of you to _drop in_!"

Logan groaned, squeezing the bridge of his nose at his brother's statement. "That was every bit as bad as one of father's puns."  
  
"Can we get back to the fact that I was apparently floating in mid-air while I was sleeping?" Roman requested. "How is that even possible?"  
  
"I believe that we would _all_ like to know the answer to that," Logan noted.  
  
"Did the Dragon Witch do something to you?" Virgil wondered. "Did you accidentally get sprayed by one of the potions or something?"  
  
"I don't believe so?" Roman frowned.  
  
"If this were the direct result of one of the Dragon Witch's concoctions, I suspect that we would have seen the effects prior to this point," Logan pointed out.  
  
"Not if it was a potion that specifically makes you float in your sleep!" Remus responded. "Why didn't _I_ get hit with that potion? I wanna fly in my sleep too!"  
  
"Would you also want to fall back to the ground in a heap when some idiot wakes you up by shouting that you're flying?" Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
"I mean you _did_ have something to cushion your landing..." Remus chuckled.  
  
"Some_one_ you mean," Virgil grumbled.

"I repeat, it does not seem very likely that a potion is responsible for this. Several hours have passed since you were first placed into this cell, Roman," Logan reminded him.  
  
"True. But then what on Earth would explain it?" Roman let out a sigh of frustration.  
  
The corners of Remus' mouth twitched upward. "Maybe nothing on Earth _can_ explain it!"  
  
"...what?" Roman blinked in surprise, trying to make sense of what Remus was saying.  
  
"Maybe nothing on Earth can explain it because it doesn't have to do with Earth! It has to do with _here_!" Remus announced triumphantly.  
  
"...but this is Earth. Isn't it? Just a different version of Earth?" Roman frowned.  
  
"Perhaps, though it is of course possible-" Logan began, but Virgil cut him off.  
  
"Guys, I already have a headache, let's not make this more complicated than it needs to be," he groaned.  
  
"Virgil is correct. There is a much simpler way of solving this mystery. We ought to ask the woman who opened the portal herself," Logan suggested.  
  
"Oooh, brilliant idea. Just one problem - She's currently unconscious!" Remus retorted.  
  
Roman's eyes went wide at Remus' statement, as if Remus unintentionally hit on something. "And she's not the one who opened the portals," Roman realized.  
  
"Oh shit, you're right! She _did_ say that it was us, didn't she? Maybe she was right after all?! Oooh, plot twist!" Remus clapped his hands together.  
  
"The hell does that mean?" Virgil interjected, hoping that someone might be able to offer an explanation. Logan looked just as confused as Virgil felt, however, which left Roman and Remus to fill in the blanks.  
  
"It means that we inherited magic," Roman admitted with an awestruck expression. "It means that our fairy tale ending may not be as farfetched as we expected."  
  
"...we? As in the two of you?" Logan furrowed his brow, looking from Roman to Remus. "You _both_ inherited magic?"  
  
"From who?" Virgil blurted out.  
  
Remus grinned. "Why, from our mommy dearest, of course!"


	27. Chapter 27

The revelation was a lot to process. It didn't help that Virgil soon learned that Roman and Remus _themselves_ were still trying to process it.  
  
"I don't get it," Virgil confessed to his brother as Roman tried to practice magic. Thus far, he had little success.  
  
"Don't get what?" Roman asked.  
  
"How the Dragon Witch could be your _mother_," Virgil shook his head.  
  
"Well, you see when a dragon witch and a...whatever our father was love each other very much-" Roman began with a slight grin.  
  
Virgil rolled his eyes and elbowed his brother in the side. "Shut up, you know what I mean."  
  
Roman shrugged. "Not much more I can say. She only told us she was our mother shortly before you turned up, and we didn't exactly believe her at the time."  
  
Virgil arched an eyebrow skeptically. "You? Didn't believe you were a prince? That doesn't sound like you at all."  
  
Roman let out a snort. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean."  
  
"When we were kids you _always_ played the prince," Virgil pointed out.  
  
"Duh, everyone wants to be the prince," Roman argued.  
  
"Not really. I never did. I was fine being the knight," Virgil shrugged.  
  
There was a long pause before Roman let out a sigh. "I did believe her at first, but Remus...Remus pointed out that this is real life, not a fairy tale, and I started to doubt her, and..." Roman gasped. "What if that's the last encounter I ever have with her?"

Virgil opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He really wasn't the best person to comfort Roman; after all, _he_ was usually the one who focused on all of the what ifs in the first place. It was hard for Virgil to think of how things could get better when he was so used to thinking of how things could get _worse - and this instance was no different.  
_  
Virgil glanced over at Remus and Logan, but the other two were still carrying on a conversation of their own on the other side of the cell, and Virgil didn't think it would be fair to them to interrupt just so that he might dig himself out of a hole.  
  
"No, I can't talk like that," Roman declared. Virgil turned to his brother in surprise. "I can't talk as if I'll never see her again, because then I will never see her again. I have to keep fighting. We have to keep fighting. That's the only way we're ever going to get ahead!"  
  
The corners of Virgil's mouth twitched upward. Huh, looked like Roman was doing a better job of cheering himself up than Virgil was. Go figure.  
  
"If nothing else, I need to get out of here so that I can apologize to her for ever doubting her." Roman had a determined expression on his face, as if he were ready to fight. There was no one around to fight, though. Roman's hand clenched into a fist, and Virgil was surprised to see a red glow emanating from within.  
  
"Uh, Roman..." Virgil started, but Roman held up the opposite hand as if to tell him to be quiet. Virgil closed his mouth at once, chewing on his bottom lip. Roman then raised his fist and opened his hand, a red beam shooting outward toward the lock on the door to the cell.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. Roman's magic. Roman figured out how to use his magic. Roman was going to...  
  
The lock shook, but did not budge, even under the influence of Roman's magic. Roman let his hand fall back to his side, a troubled expression on his face. "I thought for certain..." he began, then trailed off.  
  
Virgil knew how he felt. He dared to allow himself to get his hopes up, and it was all for naught. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a joke about cannibalism. Nothing too in depth, but..yeah, Remus is a character in this, so he does what he does.

Virgil wasn't the only one who witnessed Roman's escape attempt.  
  
Logan and Remus were no longer speaking to one another, and were instead staring at the lock in awe.  
  
"You did it. You utilized your magic." There was awe in Logan's voice.  
  
"Why'd you stop?" Remus frowned. "You almost had it!"  
  
Roman shook his head. "I blasted that lock as hard as I could and it still wouldn't budge."  
  
"So we're doomed to spend the rest of our lives trapped in here?" Virgil could feel the tension in every fiber of his being. It was bad enough being trapped, but seeing a sliver of hope only to watch it evaporate in front of their eyes? That made it ten times worse.  
  
"While I do agree that this is a massive set back, I believe it is a bit premature to concede defeat," Logan reasoned.  
  
His brother's argument, on the other hand, was a lot more impassioned. "Oh come oooon, we can't give up that easily!" Remus pouted. "We haven't even tried half of my ideas yet!"  
  
"You suggested that we chew through the bars like beavers," Roman pointed out.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" Remus frowned.  
  
"The bars are made of _metal_," Roman noted.  
  
"_That's_ the only thing you see wrong with his suggestion?" Virgil gaped.  
  
"Ah yeah, may be a bit hard to chew through metal," Remus stroked his chin. "Back to the drawing board!"

"I have a _lot_ of questions," Virgil admitted, staring at Remus.  
  
"As do I," Logan agreed, though he had a bemused expression on his face. "However, I do think that we are on to something."  
  
"We're going to chew through the walls instead?" Remus suggested eagerly. Too eagerly, if you asked Virgil.  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow at his brother before shaking his head. "No, we are not going to chew through anything."  
  
"Oh," Remus sighed, his shoulder sinking. "Then what _are_ we going to do tonight, Brain?"  
  
"Was that a Pinky in the Brain reference?" Roman's eyes lit up.  
  
"Whether it was or not, we are not the ones attempting to take over the world in this instance. The longer we remain behind this bars, the closer those who have imprisoned us will get to their ultimate goal," Logan reminded them.  
  
"If they haven't already," Virgil added gravely.  
  
"If you're both so smart, why haven't either of _you_ come up with a plan?" Remus folded his arms across his chest defiantly.  
  
"Where did you get the impression that we hadn't?" Logan retorted.  
  
Virgil turned to Logan in confusion. Was Logan bluffing, or had he actually come up with an idea? Remus and Roman looked similarly skeptical.  
  
Logan, on the other hand, remained remarkably nonplussed about the less than enthusiastic reactions of the other three. If anything, this lent credence to the idea that he actually _did_ come up with a feasible idea.  
  
More feasible than _gnawing through metal bars_, at least.  
  
"We use your magic," Logan informed them.  
  
Virgil ground his teeth together. He was getting sick of this song and dance, where he would dare to hope only to have that hope snatched away the next second. "We already _tried_ that, Logan."  
  
Logan nodded. "Roman tried, yes."  
  
"So we already know that it doesn't work!" Roman reminded him.  
  
"Do we? Has Remus tried yet?" Logan inquired.  
  
"You think I should try the same thing Roman did?" Remus rose to his feet and cracked his knuckles. "I mean, I can certainly give it a try!"  
  
"I do not think that your attempt will be met with any more success than Roman's attempt," Logan noted before Remus could blast the lock.  
  
"...dude. What a buzz kill," Remus let his arm fall back to his side. "Can I still at least give it a try?"  
  
"You can, but with one caveat," Logan responded.  
  
"...the hell is a caveat? That something like caviar?" Remus arched an eyebrow. "Didn't know I'd be exploring cannibalism down here but I suppose there's a first time for everything!"

Virgil and Roman exchanged disgusted glances. Logan, however, continued forth as if Remus did not say a thing. Of course, Logan had _fifteen years_ to get used to Remus' less than savory outbursts.

"No, it is a condition of sorts," Logan explained.  
  
"And what's the condition?" Roman frowned.  
  
The corners of Logan's mouth twitched upward slightly. "You allow Roman to do the same."


	29. Chapter 29

Virgil didn't expect _that_, and neither did Roman and Remus if their reactions were any indication.  
  
In fact, they looked positively incredulous.

"But Roman already _had_ his turn!" Remus protested.  
  
"Yes, but Roman's participation is integral to your success," Logan replied.  
  
Roman looked to Logan in confusion. "How? You saw how unsuccessful my first attempt was!"  
  
Logan nodded. "Yes, and I believe Remus' attempt will be equally unsuccessful-"  
  
"Uh, rude much? I'm telling Dad and he's not going to be happy with you!" Remus taunted.  
  
Logan sighed. "As I was saying, I believe that Remus' attempts will be equally unsuccessful _if he does not allow Roman's participation as well_."  
  
"Why does he have to participate in his try when I didn't get a chance to participate in his?" Remus pouted. "I want my own try!"  
  
Virgil could not help but feel for Logan, who looked as if he were about to blow his top. Instead, he took a couple of deep breaths, then cleared his throat.  
  
The gesture reminded Virgil of his father, though Dee would follow up his deep breaths with a deceptively pleasant smile before he told Roman that he was in time ouy for breaking the expensive china while swinging around his plastic sword indoors.  
  
"I am suggesting that you both attempt to use your magic on the lock at the same time because I believe that said simultaneity is the key to your success," Logan revealed.  
  
"I guess double the power would give us double the force. It's like double the amount of C4!" Remus beamed.  
  
"...please tell me you don't know this from personal experience," Virgil pleaded.  
  
"Oh, you worry too much. Of course not!" Remus waved his hand with a mischievous smile.  
  
Virgil wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.

Roman and Remus both lifted their hands and cast their magic on the lock. The streams hit the lock and the lock shook several times, but still did not budge. Eventually the shaking became so rough that Remus and Roman were forced to abandon their attempts, as their hands shook along with the lock.  
  
But the lock was still in place.  
  
"...got any more bright ideas, Lolo?" Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I almost had it!" Roman blurted out. "I would have had it if it wasn't for him!" Roman pointed to Remus.  
  
"Me? You didn't succeed the first time, and now you want to put the blame on me?" he scoffed. "Face it pal, this isn't on me, this is all on you!"  
  
"A likely story! It's your fault we're in this mess in the first place!" Roman glared.  
  
"My fault? How is any of this my fault?" Remus fired back.  
  
"Roman, Remus..." Logan tried to interject, but Roman and Remus paid no heed.  
  
"I believed our mother all along! You're the asshole who didn't, because 'fairytales aren't real'. You ruined _everything_!" Roman shouted.  
  
"Was I wrong? Look at how sideways shit is now! Doesn't look like things are all rainbows and butterflies now, does it?"[/i] Remus hissed.  
  
"Because you didn't believe her, and now we may never have a chance to get to know her!" Roman snapped.  
  
"Well someone needs to be the brains of the operation, because it's obvious that the so-called brawn is a pathetic naive idiot who thinks fairy tales actually exist," Remus sneered.  
  
"You take that back!" Roman growled, clenching his hands into fists.  
  
Virgil and Logan exchanged glances. Logan held up his hand and counted off on his fingers from one to three.  
  
After 'three', they both shouted simultaneously. "SHUT UP!"  
  
Roman and Remus stopped arguing and glanced over at their brothers in confusion.  
  
"Dude, what the hell was that for?" Roman raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Logan was trying to say something but neither of you would _shut up_ for long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise!" Virgil rolled his eyes, then turned to his partner in crime. "Logan, care to take it from here?"  
  
"Gladly," Logan agreed. "I know who is responsible for your lack of success earlier."  
  
"Do you?" Roman and Remus both muttered as they glared daggers at one another.  
  
Logan nodded. He then raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. "As it just so happens, both of you share equal blame for this."


	30. Chapter 30

Neither Roman nor Remus looked pleased with this development.  
  
"You're suggesting I share equal blame with _him_?" Roman gaped. "I was doing everything in my power to unlock that lock! Clearly _he_ wasn't trying hard enough."  
  
"I wasn't trying hard enough? _I_ wasn't trying hard enough? I wanted nothing more than to prove that I could do it!" Remus scoffed.  
  
"If I may interrupt?" Logan asked.  
  
"Depends what you're going to say," Roman eyed him.  
  
Logan rolled his eyes. "I do not doubt that both of you were trying your hardest to break through that lock. However, it has grown increasingly evident through the words you have exchanged with one another, as well as your behavior, that your goals are ultimately at odds with one another."  
  
Here, even Virgil was confused. How were their goals at odds with one another? They both were aiming to destroy the lock so that the group could escape this cell, weren't they?  
  
"Do you mean to suggest that one of us does _not_ want to escape?" Remus shot his brother an incredulous glance before bursting into laughter.  
  
Roman furrowed his brow in confusion before his eyes slowly began to wide. Virgil knew that look. Virgil didn't like that look. It was the look of sudden realization that led them to this mess in the first place.  
  
"You don't want us to escape, do you? That's why you sabotaged my efforts!" Roman blurted out.  
  
This only led to increased laughter from Remus. "_Oh_, a likely story from someone who is clearly attempting to shift blame away from themself!"  
  
"Oh for the love of...you are two of the most infuriatingly thick-headed men that I have ever met!" Logan lamented.  
  
"Sheesh Logan, tell us how you _really_ feel," Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Alright, I will," Logan replied. "Neither of you are deliberately sabotaging our escape efforts. Instead, your mistrust and animosity toward one another is making it impossible for your magic to properly function in the way that it is supposed to."

After an admission like _that_, Virgil was not surprised to see Roman and Remus staring at Logan with equally dumbfounded expressions. Virgil had to admit that Logan's explanation caught him off guard as well, but the more he thought of it? The more it made sense. Though the fact still remained that their attempt _hadn't worked_...this time, at least.  
  
But why?  
  
"Didn't you guys say that The Dragon...your mom...er, _whatever_ we're calling her now said that the two of you opened up the portal to this dimension?" Virgil asked.  
  
"She did," Roman agreed. "I still don't know _how_, but each of us opened the portal to get here. If we could harness that sort of power again..."  
  
"You _can_," Logan told him.  
  
"And how do you suggest we do that, Lolo?" Remus asked in a skeptical tone. "Cause we _kinda_ already tried that. We failed, remember?"  
  
"If my hypothesis is correct, the reason the two of you were able to open the portal is because both of you were looking into your pasts simultaneously. You had a shared goal, and subconsciously your magic picked up on this. Which means, if my theory is correct, your magic is at it's strongest when you work _together_, and united toward a single goal," Logan explained.  
  
"My word, you may be on to something!" Roman, ever the idealist, gasped.  
  
Remus folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow. He looked almost _bored_. "We _were_ doing all of that and it still didn't work. Got any more bright ideas?"  
  
"You most certainly were _not_ doing all of those things," Logan countered. When Roman and Remus _both_ opened their mouths to argue, Logan held up a hand to signal to them to let him finish. "You may have both gone after the lock, but you were _not_ working together. You were actively working _against_ one another. I'm not certain whether this was conscious on your part or not. But as it stands, it sounds as though both of you were _far_ more concerned with showing up the other than you were toward actually working _with_ him to solve this issue."  
  
And for once, neither Remus nor Roman had much that they could say back, because they knew that Logan was correct.


	31. Chapter 31

There was still hope. They might actually get out of here and get to Drakaina in time. They might even get home. Romam and Remus just had to get over themselves and combine their powers properly!  
  
_We're doomed_, Virgil groaned mentally.  
  
Thankfully, he had the sense not to voice this. His hopes weren't high based on what he'd witnessed thus far, but...a little hope was better than nothing, Virgil supposed.  
  
Besides, he was the most pessimistic person present in that cell, with the possible exception of Remus. And Remus' brand of pessimism was oddly upbeat?  
  
Though, for as weird as Remus was, he could still see Remus fitting into his family. Virgil imagined a world where he grew up alongside Remus, Remus making the most outlandish comments he possibly could while Virgil laughed his ass off at Dee's forced neutral expression as he tried to keep it together.  
  
What could have been, had things gone a bit differently...  
  
But if they'd gone differently, he would have never grown up alongside Roman, and Virgil could not imagine that.  
  
Virgil cast a glance to his brothers, only to be surprised by the two...actually talking?  
  
"...are they actually talking out their issues?" Virgil whispered to Logan in awe.  
  
"I suppose you could put it that way. I believe a more accurate description would be that they are attempting to negotiate a temporary truce," Logan whispered back.  
  
A temporary truce. Virgil supposed that was a start.  
  
Both he and Logan jumped when a loud bang erupted from the other side of the room. Logan lost his balance and careened into Virgil, sending them both to the ground.  
  
Remus' laughter rang out from the other side of the cell. "See, what did I tell you, Roman? _Totally_ worth it!"  
  
Roman was laughing too. "You should have seen the looks on your faces."  
  
"What about the looks on their faces now? Boy, if looks could kill..." Remus teased, then furrowed his brow suddenly. "I wonder what weapon they would use?"  
  
Logan huffed, pushing himself back to his feet. He offered Virgil a hand, but Virgil shook his head and pushed himself back to his feet.  
  
"Well, I'd say that test was a success!" Roman announced.  
  
"What did you do?" Virgil wondered.  
  
"Besides scare you two?" Remus chuckled. "We tested our powers together! And this time they _worked_!" Remus gestured to a fair sized dent in the wall, presumably the location their magic hit earlier.  
  
"Impressive," Logan adjusted his glasses as he surveyed the damage. "If you can manage that with the lock, we ought to be out of here in no time."  
  
"Shall we?" Roman turned to Remus with a grin.  
  
"Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Remus agreed.  
  
"Three, two, one...now!" Roman shouted.  
  
This time, the red and green beams twirled and spun around one another as they zoomed toward their goal. Virgil covered his ears and closed his eyes, prepared this time, though the blast was powerful enough that he could still hear it through his hands.  
  
His eyes flew open.

Not only was the lock destroyed, but the bars surrounding them were warped beyond recognition.  
  
"See that, kids? _That's_ how you do magic!" Roman grinned triumphantly.  
  
"Virgil and I are three and four years older than the two of you," Logan reminded him.  
  
Remus, on the other hand, surveyed a piece of metal that was barely attached to the rest of the bars where Roman and Remus' magic did the most damage. With a hearty tug, he managed to pull it loose.  
  
"What are you doing?" Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Getting souvenirs, of course! Do any of you want any? I don't see any loose pieces of metal, but that doesn't mean we can't make more!" Remus grinned, his hand glowing green.

\------------------------  
  
"Face it, so long as you are bound within these chains, your magic is useless!" the head of the coup taunted Drakaina.  
  
"How prescient of you. You recognized that you would not stand a _chance_ against my magic otherwise, didn't you? Some might call that _cheating_, but you did what you needed to succeed. I admire that, Jacob," she told him.  
  
She observed Jacob's reaction with thinly veiled amusement. He wasn't _stupid_, she _would_ give him that - but that also meant that he recognized the insult hidden within her so-called 'compliment'. Yes, he succeeded, but not because he was more _powerful_ than her. No, he had to remove her powers from the equation before he and his forces stood a chance against her. It was a small victory, but it was one she'd have to take.  
  
Or so she thought.  
  
Drakaina might not be able to utilize her own powers to their full potential, but there was one power that she still possessed - the ability to sense the power of others.  
  
The corners of her mouth twitched upward when Jacob looked away.  
  
Perhaps all was not so hopeless after all...perhaps Jacob and his compatriots ought not to have underestimated her sons.


	32. Chapter 32

Virgil couldn't help but grin as the four stepped out of the cell and into the hallway. They were _free_. They could...they could...  
  
"Where do we go from here?" Roman asked.  
  
Remus, still clutching the piece of metal in one of his hands, gave a small shrug. "I dunno. I'm honestly more of a 'fly by the seat of his pants' kinda guy, so I didn't really think that far ahead."  
  
"...yeah we really could have put more thought into this," Roman admitted sheepishly.  
  
Virgil groaned, squeezing the bridge of his nose in frustration. Said frustration was directed more toward _himself_ than toward Roman and Remus, however, because at least Roman and Remus got them out of the cell. Virgil didn't do much of _anything_. He'd resolved that perhaps he could keep a look out for threats, but thus far he felt as if he was even doing a piss poor job of that.  
  
If he was doing a good job, he would have recognized that they ought to have planned ahead further.

"I should think our next course of action would be obvious, would it not?" Logan frowned. "We need to leave the castle, lest we risk getting captured again."

"But we can't leave just yet!" Roman blurted out. "We still need to save our mother!"  
  
Remus stopped in his tracks, folding his arms in front of his chest and arching an eyebrow. "I mean that's super 'heroic' of you or whatever, but _how_?" Remus even added the air quotes around the word heroic for effect.  
  
"I....don't know. I didn't get that far yet," Roman admitted. "That being said, I won't be able to live with myself if I don't get to see her again. Surely you must feel the same!"  
  
"Nah, not really. Barely know the lady!" Remus waved his hand, trying to appear nonchalant, but Virgil noticed that he wasn't making eye contact with Roman. And Remus usually had _no problem_ with eye contact from what he'd seen.  
  
Which meant Remus was _lying_ about not caring...but was he only lying to Roman, or was he lying to himself as well?  
  
"She's our _mother_!" Roman argued.  
  
Remus tensed at that. "Is she? I thought mothers were usually _present_ within the lives of their children. Has she been present in your life? Cause she certainly hasn't been present in _mine_."  
  
Virgil had a feeling that he understood where Remus was coming from. And he honestly didn't blame his long lost brother.  
  
"Because we were in another dimension!" Roman reminded him.  
  
"And she has _magic_. She could have opened up the portals to see us any time she wanted to! Y'know, I bet she doesn't care about us even now! I bet the only reason she wants us around is because we're old enough to do our royal duties or whatever bullshit she has in mind!" Remus snapped back.  
  
"You don't know that!" Roman told him.  
  
Remus scoffed. "Neither do you! We don't know _anything_ about her, so how can you stand there and defend her?"  
  
"By the same token, how can you attack her?" Roman bit back. "She hasn't done anything to you!"  
  
"Because it's easier this way!" Remus snapped. He seemed to realize he'd said something wrong from the moment Roman fell silent and looked at him curiously.  
  
Virgil thought he knew why Roman was looking at Remus that way, because Virgil felt the same way that Roman did. In his most recent comeback, Remus revealed a lot more than he initially intended.  
  
"Easier this way?" Roman frowned. "How is hating someone you've never gotten the chance to know easier?"  
  
"Because...I dunno, because..." Remus once again tried to appear nonchalant, but Virgil could see through it all too well.  
  
"Because you're afraid," Virgil realized.  
  
Remus burst into laughter. "Afraid? _God_ no, what do I have to fear from _her_? She can do magic? Well guess what, bitch, so can I, so square up!" He crafted a green ball with his magic and tossed it up and down.

Remus continued to toss the ball of magic up and down. Logan was about to open his mouth to say something, but Virgil immediately elbowed him in the side and made a shushing motion.  
  
He was certain that he'd heard something...  
  
The group quickly hid around a corner, just in time for two figures to enter the hall they'd been standing within previously.  
  
"I could have sworn I heard something..." one of the men frowned.  
  
"Gee, ya think?" the other man hissed. "Look at the cell! It's empty!"  
  
"Maybe the prisoners can turn invisible?" the first man suggested.  
  
The second man hit him on the back of the head. "Seriously? The lock is damaged beyond repair, several of the bars are bent...they clearly escaped! Come on, we need to find them before Jacob finds out!"  
  
He motioned for his compatriot to follow him...in the opposite direction of where Virgil, Roman, Logan, and Remus were hidden.  
  
Virgil inhaled as deeply as he could without making too much noise. So long as they stayed where they were and didn't make a sound, they should get out of this unscathed...  
  
Virgil noticed a flash out of the corner of his eye and ducked just in time for a blast of Remus' magic to go flying toward the two men that they were _supposed_ to be hiding from.  
  
The two men who jumped out of the way just in time to _not_ get hit by Remus' blast.  
  
The two men who _undoubtedly_ knew where the escaped prisoners were located now that _Remus_ called their attention to it.

Virgil, Logan, and Roman turned to Remus in varying states of disbelief.

Remus, on the other hand, looked entirely unfazed. "Whoops! Was I _not_ supposed to do that?" 


	33. Chapter 33

"There they are!" one of them men shouted, pointing in the direction of Virgil, Logan, Roman, and Remus.  
  
Unnecessary, if you asked Virgil - It was painfully obvious where they were now that _Remus_ drew attention to it.  
  
"You idiot! What were you thinking?" Roman hissed.  
  
"What? We can totally take 'em!" Remus grinned.  
  
"Since when?" Virgil gaped. "We couldn't take them _last_ time we ran into them, so why would this time being any different?"  
  
Roman's eyes went wide. "We know how to use our magic. That's the difference."  
  
"Ding ding ding! Oh I just _love_ guessing games. I know another good one. How many hits does it take to completely incapacitate one traitor to the crown?" Remus smirked.

"That's all fine and dandy for the two of you, but what are Logan and I supposed to do?" Virgil hissed, trying to get his point across without risking their foes overhearing the conversation.  
  
"Why, sit back and enjoy the show, of course!" Roman chuckled  
  
Logan folded his arms across his chest. "We are not sitting though, we are standing..."  
  
"What's that? Can't hear you, about to decapitate someone!" Remus grinned. He threw a blast at one of the men, and they managed to dodge it once more.  
  
Remus pouted. "Oh come on, that was supposed to be a dead hit! Emphasis on the _dead_, if you know what I mean!" he cackled.  
  
Roman's fighting style, Virgil observed, was more concise. But he, too, struggled against the man he was fighting against. Virgil ground his teeth together, his hands clenching into fists. He _hated_ this.  
  
Roman might have always been the most outgoing of the two, the most _daring_ of the two...but Virgil was still Roman's big brother. Virgil was supposed to _protect_ his younger brother, but without magic, what could he do?  
  
"Ugh, if only there was some way to focus our magic," Roman grumbled in frustration. The man he was fighting smirked.  
  
"Does that mean you're ready to give up?" the man taunted. "I suppose I can be merciful, if you're willing to give up peacefully." He retrieved a sword from a sheath behind his back. "See this? It's imbued with blood from one of the most powerful of magical creatures within this realm. It's a shame, really...I don't like getting it messy. But I suppose the extra amount of magic from your blood, however small it may be, can only serve to bolster its power."  
  
The man swung again...then again...then _again_. Roman managed to dodge, and even set off a few blasts of magic, but the man soon had him backed into the corner, and there was literally nowhere he could go. All he had was his magic, which he was using to create a forcefield, and the only thing preventing Virgil from entering the fray at this point was Logan's tight grip on his hand.  
  
Odds be damned, he wasn't _about_ to stand around and let his brother _die_ on his watch.  
  
He'd very nearly broken from Logan's grasp when a high pitched scream echoed through the area.

irgil and Logan both covered their ears and watched in wide-eyed surprise as Remus went airborne and _threw_ himself toward the man that cornered Remus. He swung the morning star in his hands like a bat, hitting the man in the stomach and sending him careening backward.  
  
...wait...  
  
"Where in this world or any other world did Remus get his hands on a morning star?" Logan gaped.  
  
"Oh, that's new for you too? Good to know," Virgil acknowledged with a slight smirk.  
  
A smirk that morphed into a frown as he realized something. "Hey, weren't there two-"  
  
"REMUS, LOOK OUT!" Roman shouted. The other of the two men, who Remus appeared to have injury earlier in the fight but not incapacitated, was swinging a sword toward Remus.  
  
Roman pushed Remus out of the way and held up his arm, bracing himself for impact.  
  
But it never came.


	34. Chapter 34

Instead of hitting Roman with the sword, the sword bounced off of the empty air in front of Roman as if their enemy were swinging a wall instead of Roman.  
  
"...what?" the man gaped, then tried again - to the same result as before.  
  
Roman folded his arms across his chest and smirked. "Looks like you've been bested by the ancient and most formidable foe, 'thin air'. Better luck next time, I suppose."  
  
The man scowled. "You cast some sort of spell to stop my advance, didn't you?"  
  
Roman shrugged.   
  
The man snarled, then grinned in a way that Roman absolutely did _not_ like. He lifted his sword once more, and Roman braced himself. The shield that he cast over himself seemed to be holding up well enough for now, but how long would that last?  
  
The man did not swing toward Roman, though. Instead, he turned his attention to Virgil and Logan.  
  
Roman watched in horror. Of course he wasn't going to go after Roman again, not when Roman taunted him after two unsuccessful tries. Instead, he was going to go after those that Roman _cared_ about. As Roman protected Remus, Remus wasn't an option - not to mention Remus had magic of his own. But Virgil and Logan? Neither of them possessed magic, and they were sitting ducks.   
  
The man swung his sword, and Virgil and Logan just _barely_ managed to duck out of the way. Their attacker cackled at this display, and raised his sword once more. "You can keep trying to dodge all you want, but you know one of these times I won't miss."  
  
Roman felt sick. He'd _tried_ to cast a protection ward over Virgil and Logan the same way he had over himself and Remus, but he'd clearly failed. And now their attacker was raising his sword once more, looking all the more eager to deal the final blow, to _kill_ Virgil and Logan, and it was all Roman's fault, because he wasn't good enough with his magic to even cast a simple protection ward-  
  
The sword froze in mid-air, just _feet_ in front of Virgil and Logan.  
  
"What?! No!" the man howled in frustration. Roman let out a sigh of relief. The man turned to Roman, fire in his eyes, and Roman braced himself for whatever was to come. But before their attacker could say or do anything else, he was struck in the head and rendered instantly unconscious.  
  
Roman turned his head so that he could get a better perspective of what just happened, and gaped at the sight of his twin brother standing over their attacker's unconscious body. Remus was still gripping the morning star that he used to do the deed. Apparently he'd snuck out from behind Roman when Roman was busy trying to save Virgil and Logan, and chose the attacker's moment of distraction to make his move.  
  
And Remus, to his credit, certainly did what he could to ensure that Virgil and Logan were safe, just as much as Roman if not more.  
  
Remus turned to his brother with a grin once he recognized that he had an audience. "Whoops, was I not supposed to do that?" he asked, mocking innocence positively dripping from his tone.  
  
Roman let out a chuckle.


	35. Chapter 35

The battle might have been won, but the war was not over.  
  
Still, the group could not help but celebrate their victory. Roman and Remus were starting to gain a better understanding of their magic, which would undoubtedly aid them in any future battles.  
  
A look of determination immediately worked its way onto Roman's features as he clenched his fists and glared into the darkness at the end of the hallway. "Now, we free Drakaina."  
  
"Not so fast," Virgil immediately blurted out in response.  
  
"Not so fast? She's my mother. _Our_ mother. We need to do something, right Remus?" Roman declared.  
  
"I say we storm the room they're all in and chop off all of their heads!" Remus agreed cheerfully.  
  
"...perhaps we don't need to be _that_ drastic," Roman frowned.  
  
"We should not be drastic at all," Logan reasoned.  
  
"Not you too!" Roman groaned.  
  
"You really wanna just go running in there without any sort of battle plan? We barely beat _two_ of them just now, and you wanna go against all of them at once without any sort of plan?" Virgil gaped.  
  
"...you bring up a good point...but perhaps they'll be so surprised that we escaped that we'll catch them off guard and we'll pull off the win?" Roman suggested weakly.  
  
"I still say we chop off their heads!" Remus called out. When the other three fell silent and shot him odd looks, he shrugged. "What? They can't fight back without their heads! Unless they're like starfish and can grow back limbs! ...oh damn, maybe they _can_ do that...can I do that? I mean octopuses can regrow their lost tentacles like starfish, and I have tentacles..._Roman_, quick, chop off one of my tentacles!"  
  
"No one is chopping off anyone's tentacles!" Logan declared.  
  
"Awww, but how else am I going to find out if I can regrow my limbs like an octopus?" Remus pouted.  
  
"Right now I think we should focus on the fact that we're trapped within a castle full of enemies that are trying to depose your biological mother and obtain absolute control of this realm," Logan reminded him.  
  
"...oh yeah," Remus replied, but he actually looked somewhat disappointed.  
  
"Four against one are long odds, but I think we can pull it off!" Roman announced, clearly trying to boost morale for the group (and distract them from Remus' odd statements).  
  
"Four against one?" Virgil scoffed. "More like _two_ against one."  
  
"Two against one?" Roman furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
"You and Remus are the only ones with magic! Logan and I are pretty much sitting ducks!" Virgil pointed out.  
  
"I dunno, you look more like a sitting spider to me," Remus chuckled. "But hey, that's better than a _shitting_ spider, isn't it?"   
  
"Focus," Logan reminded all of them.  
  
"Fine, _dad_," Remus huffed, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Don't call me dad," Logan responded, folding his arms across his chest with a stern expression on his face as he pushed up his glasses. Virgil knew that it wasn't Logan's intent, but he certainly _looked_ father-like in that pose.  
  
"Hey, least I didn't call you _daddy_," Remus said with a wink and shit-eating grin.  
  
If Virgil was drinking something, he probably would have done a spit take.  
  
Logan blanched, clearly not even wanting to acknowledge that comment with a response. Virgil suspected that was the entire point of said comment, and was Remus' way of getting the last word.  
  
It appeared to work toward that end, at any rate.  
  
"In all seriousness, though," Roman stated, drawing everyone's attention back to him. Everyone aside from Remus appeared grateful for the distraction, though even Remus appeared curious enough to allow his brother to talk. "Logan and Virgil are not sitting ducks. They might not be able to use magic, but that does not mean that they do not have their own strengths that they can bring to the table..."


	36. Chapter 36

Virgil had to hand it to Roman - He could give one hell of a pep talk.  
  
Virgil still had a number of misgivings, but Roman had a point. Their enemies were all too familiar with the use of _magic_ in battle, but neither Virgil nor Logan had magic.  
  
And this was both an advantage and a disadvantage. The disadvantage, of course, was just that - They could not perform magic. The advantage, however, was that they would likely be underestimated because of this.  
  
Logan was, without a doubt, the tactician of the group, and the fact that he would be overlooked because of his lack of magical ability (or familial relationship to the Dragon Witch) essentially ensured that their enemies would not pay as much attention to him as they would to Roman or Remus.  
  
Virgil was less certain of his own contributions. As Roman pointed out, though, he had his _webs_.  
  
Virgil supposed that that did count for something. He wasn't completely defenseless, but he would feel a lot better if he could perform magic.  
  
Maybe then he would feel like he could actually _protect_ his brothers.

How long would it be before the rest of their enemies discovered that they were wandering free in the castle? Just how far was Drakaina? Was she even in the castle?  
  
Was she even... "Guys, what if Drakaina is dead?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.  
  
"Sheesh, that's blunt even for me," Remus remarked with a wry grin.  
  
"Why would you even say something like that?!" Roman replied, immediately going on the defense.  
  
Virgil immediately wished that he'd just kept his mouth shut.   
  
"I believe this is a possibility that we need to consider," Logan noted.  
  
"What?!" Roman gaped at Logan. Virgil glanced over to Logan in surprise. He wasn't expecting _Logan_ to come to his defense.  
  
"Of course, we all hope that Drakaina is still alive and as well as she can be considering the circumstances, but we must also consider that our enemies are attempting a coup, and mere imprisonment of the Queen may not be their end goal," Logan explained.  
  
"But...no! This _can't_ have been for nothing!" Roman shouted.  
  
"And why can't it have been? Things don't always happen for a reason, you know! Sometimes the world just sucks! Or sometimes things happen for the _wrong_ reasons!" Remus chimed in.  
  
"You are _not_ helping!" Roman snapped.  
  
Remus shrugged. "Never been the best at pep talks," he admitted. "Something about how I tend to focus on the negatives rather than the positives..."  
  
"Neither Virgil nor I are attempting to suggest that this was all for naught," Logan interjected.  
  
"But if Drakaina is dead..." Roman frowned.  
  
"That does not mean that the war is lost," Logan pointed out.  
  
Roman's eyes went wide. "We fight to _avenge_ her!" He lifted his magic made sword in the air.  
  
_"Alas, I'm not dead yet,"_ a woman's voice suddenly cut in.  
  
Roman nearly dropped his sword. "It's...it's almost as if I can still hear her voice!"  
  
Remus chuckled. "You can, you idiot."  
  
"You can?" Virgil and Logan both chimed in at the same time.  
  
_"Hello, my sons. I may be unable to rejoin you in person at this point in time, but I will be with you in spirit,"_ the voice assured them.   
  
There was no doubt in Roman's mind that this was Drakaina.   
  
"M-Mother?" Roman blurted out.  
  
"Oooh, shit just got a lot more interesting!" Remus grinned.  
  
"You can hear her?" Virgil asked.  
  
"Well, it's either that or Roman and I are experiencing a hallucination at the exact same time and are simultaneously and categorically losing grip on reality!" Remus shrugged.  
  
Virgil and Roman stared at Remus in horror.  
  
"Folie a deux," Logan noted.  
  
"There's a _name_ for that?" Virgil gaped at Logan.  
  
"In any case, I do not believe that that is what is happening here," Logan continued.  
  
"Neither do I!" Remus admitted with a grin.  
  
"Then why didn't you say that in the first place?" Roman ground his teeth together.  
  
"Because I wanted to freak you guys out, of course!" Remus chuckled.  
  
Virgil let out a sigh of relief, but also of exasperation. It was going to take a _long_ time to get used to Remus, but...he certainly knew how to keep them on their feet.  
  
If nothing else, that could help to prepare them for the battle ahead. Who _knew_ what they might encounter then?  
  
But if Roman and Remus were indeed hearing their _mother_, that meant that she _hopefully_ wasn't dead...and thus the odds were more firmly in their favor, even if they were still long odds.  
  
Virgil would take it. After all, what other choice did they have?


	37. Chapter 37

Virgil still had his doubts. So, apparently, did Logan.  
  
"As much as I would like to believe that you are hearing your biological mother's voice, we have no proof of this," Logan noted.  
  
"Of course we do!" Remus retorted.  
  
"We do?" Roman looked to his twin in surprise.  
  
"Duh! _We_ can hear her," Remus beamed.  
  
"...but if Logan and Virgil can't...what if it's that folie grass thing that Logan was talking about?" Roman frowned.  
  
"Folie a deux," Logan repeated.  
  
"Psssh, and here I thought _you_ were the one who wanted to rush in and rescue her, everything else be damned," Remus scoffed. "I didn't think you were the type to _chicken_ out at the last minute."  
  
Roman froze at those words. "What did you just say?"  
  
"You heard me, you're chicken!" Remus began to make clucking noises as Roman's face grew red, clearly delighting in getting under Roman's skin.  
  
"I am _not_ chicken!" Roman huffed.  
  
"Prove it then!" Remus demanded.  
  
"Wait, I thought _you_ were hesitant to do this just a few minutes ago?" Virgil pointed out to Remus.  
  
Remus shrugged. "That was before I heard my mother's disembodied voice! Now I'm completely on board! Besides, look at Roman's face and _tell_ me this wasn't all worth it just for that," Remus chuckled, pointing to Roman.  
  
Roman's face was red and his right eye was twitching.  
  
"I just don't know if we can trust that any of this is real," Logan sighed. "Besides, even if it is, how are we supposed to find our way to where they are keeping Drakaina?"  
  
"Why don't we just _ask_ her?" Remus suggested.  
  
Virgil, Logan, and Roman all looked to him at once.  
  
"What?" Remus shrugged. "It's kinda obvious, isn't it?"  
  
"Remus, you're a genius," Roman declared, all anger over his twin's incessant teasing seemingly forgiven.  
  
"_How_ is he a genius?" Virgil wondered, looking from Roman to Remus and back again.  
  
"We ask our mother ourselves," Roman replied.  
  
Logan's eyes went wide. "I get it. If you and Remus have indeed established a line of mental communication with your mother, you ought to be able to ask her where she is and how we ought to get there."  
  
"And that would _definitely_ prove that this whole telepathy thing is actually real and not a hallucination, if it works..." Virgil pointed out.  
  
"Why wouldn't it be real? You've already seen us do magic. Just because _you're_ not special enough to have magic doesn't meant that none of it's real," Remus stuck out his tongue.  
  
Virgil felt himself tense at that, though he tried not to show it.  
  
He knew Remus was teasing. It was what Remus did. But Remus happened to hit on one of Virgil's biggest insecurities, bringing it to the forefront once more.  
  
He was Roman's older brother. He was supposed to _protect_ Roman. He always had. He supposed that extended to Remus now as well. They might not have grown up together, not the way that Roman and Virgil had, but Remus was Virgil's little brother too. Virgil still hoped to bring Remus to his father, to show Dee that he was _right_ to have never stopped hoping for all of these years.  
  
But how was he supposed to do that when Roman and Remus were more powerful than Virgil could even _dream_ of being? What's more, what if their enemies were more powerful than Roman and Remus, and Virgil and Logan could do nothing but stand and watch?

"Come on, dorks. Mommy dearest says we go this way," Remus declared.  
  
Virgil exchanged glances with Logan, then did as Remus instructed.  
  
He didn't have much of a choice, did he? Roman and Remus seemed to have already made up their minds. And really, even if they hadn't, going up against the enemy was really their only way out of here.

He just wished they weren't going up against something he couldn't protect them against...


	38. Chapter 38

Virgil didn't like that they were following instructions from someone that neither he nor Logan could hear. It only drove the point home that he didn't _belong_ in this world.  
  
He realized with a sickening jolt for Roman and Remus, it was the opposite. For the first time, Roman and Remus _were_ where they belonged. Now that they'd unlocked their magic and many of the secrets of their past, they were truly in their element.  
  
Virgil once more recognized that neither Roman nor Remus may want to travel home with him, only this time he considered another possibility - What if they opted to stay _here_ instead?  
  
Virgil wouldn't blame them, of course. If this was where they belonged...he ultimately wanted them to be happy. But he also couldn't pretend that it didn't _hurt_, to think that he might never see them again. The brother he'd grown up alongside, the long lost brother he'd seen for the first time in ages...  
  
_And the brother I never even knew I had,_ Virgil realized as he glanced over at Logan.  
  
They were _all_ important to him in their own ways, and...was it weird that some small part of him _almost_ wanted all of this to drag out for as long as possible, so as to delay the inevitable?  
  
But he also thought of his father, who must be worried _sick_, and he realized that wasn't an option either.  
  
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming," Roman remarked jovially.  
  
"You know, that's lovely advice until you get pulled into a boat propeller and chopped into a million pieces," Remus chuckled.  
  
"...I was trying to lighten the mood?" Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Given what we may be facing, we may want to consider even the worst possibilities," Virgil acknowledged fairly.  
  
"Yeah, that!" Remus pointed to Virgil. "Totally what I meant all along!"  
  
Virgil somehow doubted that.  
  
He was also beginning to regret his previous comment. He only said it to remind the others that they needed to be _prepared_, but as he began to sift through everything that might go wrong within his own mind...well, it wasn't exactly _comforting_, to say the least.

"What if we're being lead into a trap?" Virgil blurted out.  
  
"...really, Virgil?" Roman let out an exasperated sigh, and Virgil immediately wished he'd stayed quiet.  
  
But...what if it _was_ a trap? It was better to say something to alert them to the possibility before it was too late...right?  
  
"On the one hand, you're being a _total_ killjoy," Remus scoffed, and Virgil felt even worse. "But you might not be wrong. We might burst into the room only to be skewered by their swords faster than you can say 'shish kebab'!"  
  
"_What_ reason do you have to believe that this is a trap?" Roman sighed. Virgil frowned at the disapproval and exasperation in his brother's tone.  
  
"I...I don't really have..." Virgil began.  
  
"Great, then let's continue on our way! Time is of the essence! Chop chop!" Roman declared, and Remus and Roman continued walking.  
  
Logan started to head after them, but paused when he saw that Virgil wasn't moving. "Are you alright?" he asked Virgil.

Virgil frowned. Was he alright? He honestly didn't know. He wanted to run in front of Remus and Roman. He wanted to stop them in their tracks, to warn them of every single danger that might be coming their way.

Of course there was danger. There would always be danger in situations like this. Remus and Roman might be impulsive, but even _they_ were smart enough to realize this. They didn't need Virgil to tell them that.

But it was all he _could_ do, he realized. Stopping them from jumping into danger's way in the first place was the only way he could protect them, because once they were in battle, there was nothing he or Logan could do. His webs could do little against the sort of magic he'd seen.

It was the only power he had left, the only way that he could ensure that his brothers were safe.

...but Roman and Remus weren't kids anymore, and ultimately he had to accept that perhaps there were things that he _couldn't_ protect them from - and that, perhaps, they could handle _themselves._

Or so he hoped.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Virgil replied, continuing after Remus and Roman alongside Logan.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, guys...I kept trying to think of how I wanted to go about this chapter. I had most of it written yesterday, then decided to go an entirely different route than I originally had planned. Hope it was worth the wait!

Drakaina could barely disguise her glee. She made contact with her sons, whose latent magic abilities seemed to grow stronger by the second.  
  
That said, she could _not_ let her captors recognize that there was even a _glimmer_ of hope that she might get out of this. The stronger the element of surprise the better.  
  
That did, however, mean that she had to keep them distracted in the meantime.  
  
She was up for the challenge.

The leader of the operation, of course, was her (formerly) _trusted_ advisor, Jacob. The fact that he was her former advisor could work to her advantage - She knew him long enough and well enough to have a good idea as to what made him tick.  
  
And the man always had a penchant for hearing his own voice.  
  
"So tell me, Jacob, what is your plan from here?" she asked him.  
  
He arched an eyebrow. "What is it to you?"  
  
Drakaina met his eyebrow raise with one of her own. "I would like to have some idea of what is going to happen to my kingdom if you do manage to depose me."  
  
Jacob let out a snort. "If? Drakaina, my dear, what's the use of talking in terms of ifs when I've already done the deed? The majority of those within this castle are loyal to _me_, and those that aren't...well, I assure you that they'll be dealt with swiftly, and even your admittedly powerful magic is not enough to break through the wards imprisoning you! Now is not the time for optimism. You've been deposed."  
  
...yep, just as she suspected, he was gloating.  
  
"Then surely it wouldn't do any harm to tell me what will become of my kingdom?" she pressed. _You know you want to,_ she added mentally.  
  
"I plan to institute a few reforms," Jacob replied.  
  
"Reforms of what sort?" Renilda questioned. Though her primary goal was to keep him talking, she was genuinely curious.  
  
"The sort of reforms that do not openly allow _invaders_ to waltz into our kingdom and threaten our security," Jacob scoffed.  
  
"Threaten our security?" Drakaina repeatedly incredulously.  
  
"Yes, threaten our security," Jacob responded.  
  
"Is that what you're telling your followers?" Drakaina scoffed.  
  
"Excuse me?" Judging by the expression on Jacob's face, he was not expecting that question.  
  
"Its smart, I'll give you that. Manipulative, but smart," Drakaina told him.  
  
"I'm not manipulating anyone!" Jacob protested.  
  
"If that's what helps you sleep at night..." Drakaina arched an eyebrow.

"I am protecting our people. Something that _you_ could clearly care less about, welcoming unvetted visitors with open arms," Jacob scoffed. "You and I both know they could be capable of _anything_."  
  
_That's certainly the hope,_ Drakaina thought to herself. She lowered her voice and motioned for Jacob to come closer, so that only he could hear what she was saying. "You and I both know that you have no proof that this group poses any sort of danger to our people. You're playing upon their fear of the unknown in order to gain power for yourself. You could not care _less_ about 'invaders' or 'potential threats' to the kingdom. This is all a means to an end. What do you have to gain from hiding that from me? You have me exactly where you want me; it's not like you need to fool me."

Jacob narrowed his eyes, then let out a snort. "Smart bitch, aren't you?" He chuckled, then shook his head. "Too bad you didn't work things out sooner, things might have ended differently for you, hmmm? But you're right...I have you exactly where I want you now, and there's _absolutely nothing_ you can do about that."

The corners of Drakaina's mouth twitched upward into a smirk. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The door behind them exploded.


	40. Chapter 40

Four figures walked through the smoke and dust.  
  
Drakaina beamed.  
  
Jacob, on the other hand, was at a loss for words. He was the only one, though, as their party crashers had a _lot_ to say - even if it was only to each other at this point in time.  
  
"I thought we were going to use a more nuanced approach?" Logan arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Nuance? Who is she? Never heard of her," Remus retorted.  
  
"YOU!" Jacob snarled.  
  
"Uh oh, he doesn't look too happy to see us, does he boys?" Roman shook his head in mock disappointment.  
  
"You were _supposed_ to be disposed of. What the hell happened?" Jacob glared.  
  
"We weren't disposed of, obviously," Remus snickered.  
  
"Would you like us to start from the beginning, or would you like a more condensed version of the story?" Logan wondered.  
  
Jacob's eye twitched.  
  
"Condensed version it is, then," Logan replied. "You see, it was an utterly terrible idea for you to lock the four of us in the dungeon together. Though I suppose you had your reasons. After all, I presume that you planned to have a _lot_ more prisoners if you wished for this coup of yours to be successful."  
  
"It _is_ successful," Jacob scoffed.  
  
"Yeah, four of your prisoners have escaped from the dungeons. Might wanna work on your security, cause that doesn't seem too successful to me!" Roman taunted.  
  
Jacob shrugged. "I'm not too worried."  
  
"You aren't?" Virgil blurted out before he could stop himself.  
  
Jacob snickered. "I'm not. As it just so happens, I have an ace up my sleeve..."  
  
Roman scoffed. "Big fucking deal. We have two aces on our team."  
  
"Pretty sure that's the exact opposite of a big _fucking_ deal, if you know what I mean," Remus snickered.  
  
"I'm fairly certain he's not referring to an asexual with that comment," Logan frowned.  
  
"And who said I was?" Roman looked to Virgil and Logan and winked.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. That was certainly news to _him_. What _did_ Roman mean, if he wasn't referring to Virgil and Logan's asexuality?  
  
"ENOUGH," Jacob roared.

irgil tensed, eyeing Jacob warily.  
  
"I don't have time for your childish arguments," Jacob glared.  
  
"That's cute, coming from the guy who'd having a hissy fit and trying to take over our mother's kingdom," Remus taunted, boasting a massive grin.  
  
"That's mighty brave of you considering I still have your mother imprisoned," Jacob smirked. "Brave or stupid."  
  
"Both, actually!" Remus replied.  
  
"Hey, he said it, not me," Virgil whispered to Logan, who snickered.  
  
"It's four of us against one of you. We're not too worried, considering those odds," Roman shrugged.  
  
"Aha! But I have _magic_!" Jacob cackled, sending a torrent of magic toward Roman, Remus, Virgil, and Logan.  
  
"Awww that's cute Roman, he thinks he's the only one with magic," Remus chuckled as he and Roman clasped hands and wove their magic together to craft a shield.  
  
Jacob, much to their delight, appeared taken aback. "You...you didn't even...how long have you been practicing?"  
  
"An hour, maybe two tops," Roman replied. "Why?"  
  
"Liar," Jacob snapped. "That sort of magic takes _years_ to perfect. I knew there was more to you than met the eye. You've been training for this for years, haven't you, thinking you could just _waltz_ in and act like you own the place because your mother is the Queen? Well _not anymore_, and I'm not about to let you _ruin_ what I've been working toward for years!"  
  
"How dare you speak to my sons that way!" Drakaina roared. She attempted to use her magic against Jacob, but it backfired, striking herself instead. She briefly cried out in pain before gritting her teeth together and trying to remain stoic despite it.

"MOM!" Roman and Remus shouted at once.

Jacob looked from Drakaina to Roman and Remus, then back to Drakaina. He started to grin as an idea began to form. It was an idea, alright. An awful idea. A _wonderful_, awful idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jacob apparently turned into the Grinch at the last part of this. -Shrugs-


	41. Author's Note/Update

(I'm going to be posting this on all three of my stories that I'm currently updating, so bear with me. I realize some of you read all of my stories, but I know that some probably only read one, and I wanted to make sure this message got to all of my readers.)

TW - COVID-19/coronavirus

SO...I'm not going to stop working on this fics. That's not what this is about.

I may be a bit slower to update, especially within the next week or two - although even that is tentative.

See, two things are happening right now.

As you _may_ have heard, there's currently a pandemic going on. I work in the healthcare field. As such...there's a lot going on right now, and we keep getting new information at work that we have to adjust to on the daily. Also, as some of you might know, I have anxiety/OCD, and though not _all_ OCD involves fear of germs..mine does. So yeah, that adds to everything. That being said, I'm usually super anxious around flu season anyway, so in some ways this is just a step above my normal for this time of year.

In addition to that, though, I'm in the process of moving locations at work. 

Needless to say...I've got a bit more on my plate than usual.

As I said, though, I don't plan to stop writing. It's just that I often do a lot of my writing on my lunch break at work, and I'm not always getting as much of an opportunity to do that as of late. I know I've already cut down my postings to about one chapter to each story per week (so three total chapters per week)...I hope not to stray too far from that even with everything else going on, but I wanted to keep you guys updated. <3 Thank you for your interest in my work, and I hope you still stick around! It's much appreciated!


	42. Another Update

TW - COVID-19/Coronavirus (fair warning to anyone who doesn't want to read anything, because it's not going to be just a footnote in this update. So if you don't want to read, don't look past the dashed line.)

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I was hoping that my last warning would just be a 'just in case' warning. Unfortunately, I actually underestimated just how things were going to get. I expected that I would be able to keep up with my writing and perhaps update a bit slower than usual while I was adjusting to anything. I only wound up getting one chapter up over the past few weeks, and that was only because I had half of it already written when I posted up my last update.

I started my new job. I was supposed to spend most of my day with my supervisor going through orientation, but she wound up having to attend a COVID-19 training exercise, so we had to postpone it. Which...really sets the tone for how things have been over the past few weeks.

I'm _technically_ not done with my training for my 'new clinic'. That was supposed to take a couple of weeks, but halfway through that training, the majority of the clinics in our health system shut down and merged into a few larger clinics (including the one I just transferred to...lucky me) on account of everything. Funny enough, because I already had experience with it, I wound up working with the same doctors I worked with at my old clinic. 

I don't know if you'd call this emergency mode just yet, or pre-emergency mode...but it's definitely _something._

I had a _really_ hard time getting through my last week or so of work. I cried three or four times on Wednesday, one time in front of my _boss_, but at least she was cool about it - and I already knew she was going to be cool, because another person started crying in front of her last week and she handled that really well too.

A couple of nurses/providers I work with are already preparing to head to the hospital to help out soon, so that's pretty harrowing too. I know it may be hard to read about, but...I also feel that it needs to be said, so that people KNOW that this needs to be taken seriously.

I could probably ramble on all day about my experiences, but there's supposed to be an update SOMEWHERE in here, so I'm going to try to cut myself off and get to the point.

Long story short, those in my position at the clinics are working on an alternating schedule, since they merged a bunch of clinics. As such, I worked last week, and have the next couple of weeks off of work (and to give you an idea of just how much going to work was hitting me the past couple of weeks, I caught myself referring to being pretty much shut up in my house other than going for perhaps an occasional walk around the neighborhood as 'freedom', so XD).

The couple of weeks off work mean that I HOPE to work on some writing during that time. 

That being said...I don't think it's going to be work on my chapter stories. I don't think I have it in me to continue working on those at this point in time. That does not mean that I will not return back to them, but I also don't want to leave people with false hope, and I definitely think I need to take a break from those particular stories.

HOWEVER...I do plan to work on some short stories, several of which I anticipate to be within the universes that I already write in (the ideas I've had thus far have mainly been for Hogwarts Havoc, though I'm not counting out stories from the Beauty Is In The Eyes of The Beholder universe). Those I think I can pull off.

I'll probably put those together as a grouping of short stories with each story as a chapter, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

That said...thank you all for sticking with me, and I hope that you all stay safe and well. <3 

\- Mandee


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